


One Miko, Two Lives

by Gamersweetheart



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family Drama, Humor, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2019-11-13 13:34:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 65,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18032696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamersweetheart/pseuds/Gamersweetheart
Summary: Kagome can no longer keep up her double life. With the pain of letting her first love go, she turns to a new source of support in order to save the world and herself. Some romance, drama, and family time in this story.I do not own Inuyasha.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my very first story I wrote back in 2017. I'm going over it and rewriting it now so I'll post it as I fix it up! I hope you enjoy and feel free to tell me where I can improve for next time. Thank you!

**One Miko, Two Lives**

**Chapter One**

**By,**

**Gamersweetheart**

 

It was another early morning in Feudal Japan. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when an exasperating Inuyasha decided to wake up his sleeping companions.

"Oi! Wake up. Damn, you guys are so lazy." He hollered as the sleeping miko called out her own command. "Inuyasha, sit."

While Inuyasha grumbled up in the tall branches of his tree after getting out of his hole, the gang got to work making breakfast before they started to travel for the day. After a simple meal, Kagome started to break down camp. Once she was done, the group was on their way to hunt down more jewel shards.

It was about midday when Inuyasha finally spoke up about what was on his mind. Everyone could tell something was up by how quiet he was during their travels.

"Oi, Wench! We need to talk." He was at the front of the group, turning towards said miko at the back of the pack. Kagome was walking with the children, chatting away before he spoke.

Sighing, the young miko stopped her conversation with the kids to see what he wanted. Kagome was fairly sure she already knew what he was about to say but inquired none the less. "Yes, Inuyasha."

"Kikyo knows where some jewel shards are so I'm bringing her into the group tonight. I'll leave once we set up camp."

His words hung in the air. Everyone seemed to be too shocked to respond. Kagome felt Shippo and Rin grab her hands in fear while she went back over the changes she noticed in her ex-crush.

_Flashback_

It started out slowly, first he'd go see Kikyo when she called, like he always did, but he wouldn't be back by morning anymore. Then, he started to seek her out more and more. As time went on, Kagome and Sesshomaru started to take charge and work as a team. Each morning Sesshomaru started off the day asking Kagome if she could feel any jewel shards. If she didn't then he'd pick which way to go. That's why they were currently on their way to the Western palace.

The Western Lord wanted to check in with his spies and make a plan to track down the vile spider hanyo. Of course, Inuyasha had no idea what was going on. He was too busy with Kikyo to notice. Kagome wondered if Inuyasha felt pushed away by her when his half-brother joined the group…

It had been roughly six months since the two packs joined in the hopes of tracking down Naraku. Kagome and Sesshomaru's relationship started to grow almost timidly. Nothing romantic; however, Kagome loved the feeling of being respected. On top of being respected, she gained the respect of the western lord of all people!

She found it incredible how easy it was for the two of them to get along, so a few nights ago when he pulled her aside to talk, Kagome knew she could trust whatever he was about to say.

"Miko, This One's foolish half-brother plans to bring his dead lover to the pack. When he does, Kikyo will take over the role of Alpha Bitch. As the current alpha, you have the right to challenge her, but you will lose. You are nowhere near strong enough to fight one on one with her."

Kagome froze, she knew it was coming but the idea of having someone who had tried to kill her on numerous occasions and would gladly try again at any moment become the leader of their group was too much.

Not only would her life change but the dead miko hated demons and would go after Shippo! This same person was playing her best friend to believe she loved him. This was too much for Kagome to handle. Inuyasha already doesn't make sure his pack is safe when he takes off, what would happen when Kikyo joined?

' _At least when Sesshomaru leaves he makes sure his pack is safe and knows he is leaving, even if all he has to say is "Jaken"'_  Kagome thought before Sango pulled her back to reality.

_End of Flashback_

Looking around at the group, she must have been the first to speak while Kagome was thinking over the past.

"You can't be serious! She tried to kill Kagome! She only wants what is best for her!" Sango yelled.

Miroku was also upset by his friend but tried to stop the blow out he knew was about to occur if he didn't stop Sango and Inuyasha right away. He had a little hope that they could stay a group and didn't want them to go their separate ways.

"Why don't we discuss this as a group tonight when we camp. I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru would have…" but he didn't get to finish his thought before Inuyasha jumped in to defend his reasoning.

"That bastard doesn't get a say in anything! This is  _my_ pack, not his!

"Indeed." Came the calm, cold voice of the lord in question. Having heard everything they said, Sesshomaru stepped out of the tree line watching his brother, or that's what it looked like, he was actually watching the little miko from the corner of his eyes.

**She is alpha bitch. We are alpha male. Show the half-breed who the true alpha is!** His beast was thrashing around after hearing Inuyasha wanted to replace their capable bitch with some dead clay pot that would never think of the others in the pack. That's what made an alpha great, being able to care for your pack and for some unknown reason, he felt Kagome deserved more, she surely didn't need to deal with what that loudmouth was saying. He pushed those troubling thoughts aside and went back to the problem at hand, Inuyasha.

"Shut the fuck up. This has nothin' to do with you. If you don't like it, you can leave!" The hanyo was feeling a bit excited. Maybe he'd get the love of his life and his brother would leave his pack. Talk about a win-win!

Rin latched onto Kagome's leg. She had tears streaming down her face at the idea of losing her only mother figure and Shippo. The groups just couldn't split up! They were a family, weren't they?

"How dare you speak to our mighty Lord in such a way, you filthy half-breed!" Jaken squawked while waving his staff of two heads around ready to attack.

Inuyasha put his hand on the hilt of Tessaiga, ready to charge at his brother at any moment. There was no visible sign of Sesshomaru preparing to fight if you didn't know what to look for. Kagome did, she saw his eyes glare towards his brother and his stance was a little more tight, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

The last thing Kagome wanted to see was the two brothers fight before she left. She spoke up before the situation could escalate any more.

"Okay, let's set up camp here. I have some things to show you Sango and Miroku."

"What the fuck. Bitch, we ain't stoppin' now! Look how much light is left! This is why Kikyo needs to be here. She doesn't waste the day laying in the grass being useless."

Everyone watched as Kagome pulled her massive, yellow bag down from A-Un. Sango and Miroku quickly helped her set up camp while Sesshomaru sat under a tree to watch what the foolish pup would do next.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what to do. He studied Kagome as she set up camp and started to show their friends some of the odd tools she brought from the future. Feeling unsure of himself, Inuyasha stayed where he was, crossing his arms over his chest attempting to look irritated at her.

The inu hanyo was expecting to see the miko scream at him, maybe cry, and at least a dozen sit commands. This? Inuyasha was at a loss. She was too calm, he couldn't tell what she was thinking, and that realization alone terrified him. How do you respond to someone when you have no idea what's going on?

Unlike his half-brother, Sesshomaru knew what was about to happen. Kagome would soothe the children, who were visibly upset after the demon slayer and monk were clear on the plan and saw the letters, she hid in her bag for him to read to everyone after she left.

The lord was still irritated by the treatment of the miko, Sesshomaru said one word before he decided to leave, "Jaken."

He left to go speak with a guard he had stationed nearby. He also planned to go hunting. He'd enjoy the kill in an attempt to calm his raging beast. The older inu truly wanted to kill the half-breed, or at the bare minimum severely injure, Inuyasha.

He was forced to remember the pack he made. When he joined his pack with his half-brother's there was a trues to not hurt the pup. Sesshomaru could almost feel pity for the soul that ended up taking his brother's place in his hunt, almost.

Kagome noticed Sesshomaru leave and decided to move into the next phase of the plan. Pulling the two crying children towards herself, the young miko offered the children a chance to be alone with her.

"Let's go to the hot spring and bathe you two," Kagome said with a small smile. Walking away with the kids and A-Un, Kagome didn't spare Inuyasha a glance. She couldn't, not now. If she did there was a chance she'd cry or forgive him as she always did. This time was different, she wouldn't forgive him so easily.

Once they were far enough away Miroku knew the others wouldn't hear what he was about to say, he spoke to his packmate. "Well my friend, you have finally pushed her away it would seem."

Sango took to the sky with Kirara too cool down before she killed Inuyasha, knowing the fool wouldn't understand what the monk was trying to do.

"What the hell did I do?" Inuyasha asked, honestly confused.

"Are you really going to act like bringing Lady Kikyo into the group wouldn't hurt Lady Kagome?" He paused to see if Inuyasha would say anything. When he was met with silence, the young monk spoke again. "Look, I know you love them both and you feel you owe Lady Kikyo. But this? You may not be able to come back from this."

With a quick "feh" Inuyasha leaped into the tree to wait for his dinner. If he grabbed Kikyo before the meal he knew he wouldn't get to eat.

Miroku sighed as he sat down to try and meditate while the ladies were away. It was going to be a long night.

**At the Springs**

"'Gome do you have to go? We could leave, and I'll protect you!" Shippo stood to his full height, puffing out his chest. The little kit was ready to fight for his mama!

"Yes Kagome-san, Lord Sesshomaru would let us all go with him. Rin knows he would! You take good care of Rin and make Rin happy."

Smiling, she took both kids in her arms and told them "you are both going to be with Lord Sesshomaru. Him and I have already talked about what would happen if Kikyo was brought into the group and he knows there is no way I'd leave you with Kikyo. I love you both very much; however, I need to go home for a bit. I'm going to work on me and my life in the future. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can. I need to take some time to get things settled so I can be a better me and better for both of you."

When she saw the fear on Shippo's face she kept talking, "I know he may seem scary Shippo, but he has honor above all else. We made a deal and I know he will keep you safe. Just be respectful and listen to him. I trust him."

After talking they stayed in the water a while longer just to play and enjoy the time they had left before heading back to camp. Little did they know, the Lord himself was listening. He approved how the little miko handled the children. When he noticed they were getting out of the water, he left to beat them back to camp.

The camp was very awkward and uncomfortable. No one really talked while they ate. The children stayed right next to Kagome, all in their own worlds until Inuyasha left camp. Kagome looked over to Sesshomaru to see if Inuyasha was far enough away she could leave without him knowing until it was too late to follow.

He closed his eyes for a moment, anyone looking would think he merely blinked when he nodded. He stood to get A-Un ready for her while Kagome said her goodbyes. His beast whined as Rin clung to the miko, pleading for her to rethink this and stay with her.

Kagome hugged both kids and kissed them on the forehead. "Just remember, no matter where we are, I'll always be here with you." She pointed to their hearts.

"Will Rin and Shippo be in your heart while you're gone?" Rin sniffed.

"Always."

"Miko, if you do not leave now the half-breed will be back before you get far," Sesshomaru spoke in his cold voice.

Kagome nodded and walked over to the two-headed dragon, thanking Sesshomaru once again before the Lord helped her up and she took off into the night.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Groaning, Kagome hit her alarm clock while glaring at the bright red 4:00 for disturbing her dreams. Laying there she thought about how crazy her first week back home had been. She spent the first day crying with her Mom and talking about all her options so she can balance both lives at once. Trying to finish school with good grades, finding jewel shards, missing her family and friends, being a mother or "alpha" as Sesshomaru said, and getting over Inuyasha all added up.

Kagome even explained to her mom how she felt as if the group unknowingly babied her, so she couldn't grow as a person nor a miko. She also explained how helpful Sesshomaru was. He had no reason to lie to her, no desire to carry dead weight. He was a cold and calculating male, an Alpha who saw something in her. She didn't realize it yet, but the Western Lord gave her the courage to make this change.

After talking to her principle, they worked out online classes at an accelerated rate so she could work from home and help around the shrine. The school thought it was so she could heal from her many illnesses. Her Grandfather was delighted to have the help and it gave her time to work on her Miko abilities. It also took the pressure off her family to come up with new lies to explain why she was always absent.

Looking back towards the clock, 4:05 AM showed causing the young woman to jump out of bed. Sesshomaru would be coming by today so she could get an update on little Shippo and Rin. While she trusted the Demon Lord, they were still her babies. However, that was only part of his reason for coming to the future, Sesshomaru's main reason for taking his time to visit her was to assist her with training. While she held power deep inside her, she was untrained in both her miko abilities and archery.

Getting up, Kagome put on some yoga pants and a simple t-shirt so she could start her day.

Four hours later everyone else was finally getting up and starting their day. Kagome wished she knew the benefits of waking up so early years ago. She was able to finish the majority of her school work before anyone woke up. While she'd never admit this to Inuyasha, being woken up the instant the sun started to rise to hunt down jewel shards was quite helpful now.

Heading downstairs, Kagome offered to help her mother with breakfast so everyone could enjoy a meal together. Once that was done, they all sat to eat. Her grandfather was in the middle of one of his many tales when a powerful demonic presence made itself known before disappearing just as quickly.

_'Sesshomaru.'_

Kagome got up and put her dishes away then made her way outside to meet Sesshomaru. He looked the same as ever, but you could see in his eyes that he didn't approve of this new world. She couldn't blame him. She could easily tell the difference between the two times as a human so he must be going insane with all the new sounds and smells his demon senses could pick up.

"Miko, what is that smell?"

Trying not to giggle, Kagome calmed herself before answering, "the air here is very polluted and it's much louder here than back where you are from with all our advances in technology."

"Hn, the kit is doing well. Both him and Rin miss you."

Looking up at him she smiled, she was so glad to have him here to support her and offer her this chance to get her life figured out, duties handled, on both sides of the well,  _and_  the ability to keep her time Inuyasha free.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. I should be done with school in about five months, but I plan to come back at least once a month to see the kids and work with Rin like I agreed; if that is acceptable with you."

"Hn. Show me what you have been working on."

He was cut off by sand being thrown at his perfect kimono and body armor while a loud "DEMON BE GONE" Was yelled at him.

Kagome's eyes went wide in fear.

"Grandpa! No! This is Lord Sesshomaru of the Western lands." Hoping she could stop said Lord from killing her grandfather she put her hands on his arm. She needed him to focus on her and hopefully not her grandfather.

Neither of them seemed to notice the effect she had on his beast, nor the fact this little miko was able to touch him without losing her arm.

Looking at him with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster she whispered "Please my Lord. Don't harm him, he's old and doesn't know better." His eyes were still on her Grandpa, but the look was enough to kill the man where he stood.

"Wait, you're the Lord of the western lands? My apologies Lord Sesshomaru, you are legendary! I've heard so many stories about you." He bowed deeply to Sesshomaru while babbling on about what he knew of him while Kagome stood there in shock. He was acting like Jaken! That's the last thing the world needed, another annoying toad worshiping the Demon Lord.

"Miko, make him leave."

After getting her grandpa to leave them alone and Sesshomaru cleaned up they started working on training. Kagome just finished showing him her healing powers and was sitting, waiting for him to say more. Hell, say anything at this point.

The goal was to heal his arm when she trained enough to handle it, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. One mistake and he'd kill her. But her life wasn't the only worry, Kagome was scared she'd hurt him by mistake.

Taking her out of her thoughts, the demon gave her a slight nod. This told her he was impressed with the work she had done in the past week. She couldn't help but feel proud. This male was named the killing perfection for a reason, if he thought she was doing well then, she knew it was the truth.

"Sesshomaru, may I ask you a question?" She looked up from her hands to see him tilt his head as a sign to go on. She couldn't face him, so she looked back down to her hands as if they were the most interesting thing she has ever seen.

"Well… I was wondering what is going on with the group… I mean I know you are doing a ton for me already and I have no reason to ask for more but I'm worried ab…"

"Silence your rambling, Miko. Your group is fine. The demon exterminator and Monk have gone back to the village by your well and the half-breed and dead one are wondering the land."

With a sigh, she looked back up to him. While she was sad they split up, she knew Sango wouldn't be able to deal with Kikyo and Inuyasha for a month at a time without a break.

Getting back to work he stood and stated he wanted to see how her aim has improved. They went to the forest behind the shrine to the trees she had marked to practice on. Her aim was much better. Anyone could see all the holes around the trees and in them. He knew she was practicing a lot.

Sesshomaru was impressed but would never say that to her so instead he told her she needs to consider new weapons for close range combat.

* * *

 

"RINNNNN! GET BACK HERE, YOU ROTIN CHILD! LORD SESSHOMARU WILL KILL ME IF YOU ARE GET HURT!"

Giggling the two children watched as Jaken went running by their hiding spot in the castle.

"How do you think Kagome's doing? I miss her." Shippo asked. He was still struggling with the idea that Sesshomaru got to see his mama, but he was stuck here waiting for an update.

"Rin thinks she is good. Rin misses her but Lord Sesshomaru knows what he is doing." Completely confident in her father figure's decisions.

"I wonder if we'll have to leave you after we kill Naraku. I don't want to leave you, Rin." Shippo frowned at that thought. He was enjoying his time with Rin. Not only in the castle, but also while traveling. It was nice having someone to play with and it made him feel important. Being around Rin gave him someone to protect instead of always being the one protected. Plus, having them around made Kagome happier.

"Rin doesn't want you or Kagome-san to go!" She exclaimed while hugging him tightly.

"Rin. Kit. Why are you hiding from Jaken?" A deep and cold voice questioned them.

Both kids turned around to see Sesshomaru standing there with one elegant eyebrow raised.

With years of practice, Rin didn't miss a beat before responding to her Lord. "Rin and Shippo are sorry, we will be good."

Shippo hid behind her. While he trusted Kagome completely and knew if she placed him in Sesshomaru's care then he'd be safe with him. He also knew the Western Lord wasn't someone you messed with.

"Hn." Sesshomaru handed them Kagome's letter before walking away towards his study.

Letter in hand, both looked at each other then took off quickly to Rin's rooms, which she now shared with Shippo since he was unable to sleep alone with his mom so far away.

Jumping on the futon, Rin and Shippo waited for Rin's nanny to read them the letter.

_Dear Rin and Shippo,_

_I miss you both so much! I hope you are both behaving yourselves with maybe just a little trouble for Jaken. I wanted to let you know that school is going well, I am going to be back full time in about five months. Don't worry though, I am going to come visit you in about a week, so you better make time in your schedule! I need to see your home and all the places you two hide from Jaken hehe. I think of you all the time, but I hope you know how much I love you both. Lord Sesshomaru is doing a wonderful thing by helping us out Shippo, so please make sure you are on your best behavior._

_Love,_

_Kagome_

"She's coming to visit!" Both cheered.

"I bet she'll let us read extra stories since she's been gone so long!"

"Rin wants to play hide and seek here! Kagome-san will never find us."

The two stayed in their room for a few hours planning what they'd do during her visit with Rin's nanny watching over them. She was surprised both a human child and demon kit would love this one woman so much. This same woman was an ally to their Lord.

_'I wonder who this "Kagome" is.'_

* * *

 

**Western Study**

Knock, knock

"Enter."

A young inu demon with dark brown hair entered the study and bowed deeply. "My Lord, this came for you while you were away."

Sesshomaru took the offered scroll from his messenger to read it.

_'So, they have found no shards in the past week. I wonder how long it will be before the half-breed will try to use the well and bring the miko back.'_ The demon Lord smirked at the idea of his brother trying to jump in the well but never going anywhere. That would be a sight to see. Knowing that pup, his temper would explode after the second jump.

**The dead one is hiding something. Why else would the Miko want us to take the kit?**

Agreeing with his beast, Sesshomaru set to work on all the messages he had yet to answer while he was away visiting the miko. If he wanted to be ready for whatever was thrown his way, he’d need to make sure his lands were safe.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm excited to see so many views so far! Thanks to everyone for reading. In this chapter we'll be looking into the others and what is happening within the first week of Kagome's absence.

 

**Near Inuyasha Forest**

Enjoying the free time Sango finally had since leaving Inuyasha and Kikyo to their own devices, the young woman sank into the warm water the hot springs had to offer. Taking a deep, soothing breath, Sango let her worries wash away as her tense muscles slowly started to relax. Having her best friend/heart sister leave, while the cause of Kagome's pain was flaunting his happiness around was horrible.

Leaving the new couple left her alone with Miroku. It was a difficult situation to be in. He was such a flirt, with everyone, that she had a hard time deciphering what was going on. While she loved the perverted monk, she wasn't sure he could love her back. At least not the way she needed.

The beautiful demon slayer could feel eyes on her from the bushes. "Miroku, I will kill you."

The bushes rattled, signaling the monk's departure. Sango enjoyed the water for a couple more minutes before getting out. As she was drying off, Kirara looked up from her napping spot on a bolder nearby to keep watch.

"You ready to head back tomorrow?"

"Meow."

"Me neither, Kirara. Me neither."

While Sango didn't hate Kikyo, she didn't trust her. She also didn't agree with Inuyasha taking her best friend for granted. Kagome was an important part of her life, a special part, and because of that, Sango was internally grateful to Lord Sesshomaru. This was the chance her sister needed to make her life better. Possibly her only chance.

Once Sango was fully dressed, she and Kirara made their way back to camp to find Miroku "meditating" by the fire.  _'Who does he think he's fooling?'_

Shaking her head, the demon slayer sat down beside the monk; ready for his innocent act.

"Why my lovely Sango, how was your bath?"

"Can it, Monk. I know you were there." She responded without taking her eyes from the fire in front of them.

In true Miroku fashion, he held his hand to his chest; looking as hurt as possible before he spoke up. "Why Sango, you wound me. I would only go near the hot springs to make sure you were safe."

Deciding it was pointless to argue with him. She decided to simply ignore him instead and got ready for bed. They'd be waking up at first light to join Inuyasha and Kikyo again. Things would be back to the new normal soon.

While alone, Sango and Miroku slept closer than they use to. Not too close, but close enough she could reach her arm out and touch him. Blushing at the thought of being so bold, Sango turned towards the first so he wouldn't see that her face was bright red.

Speaking softly while putting his hand on her arm to turn her towards him, he asked her "What is it, Sango?" The look in his eyes showed he truly cared about her and that was why he asked.

"I just miss how things used to be. Not the pain Kagome was in, but I always thought Inuyasha and Kagome would end up together. That we'd all be happy together. Now, look at us! Shippo's with Lord Sesshomaru and Rin, we're heading back out to meet up with Inuyasha, but Kagome won't even be there! We'll be stuck with him and Kikyo. I wouldn't even stay if it wasn't for Kagome. I know this whole arraignment is for the best and I know Inuyasha means well but how much can we ask of Kagome? She isn't from here, what if, what if she never comes back?"

Looking at her sad, scared eyes, Miroku knew how she was feeling because he was feeling the same. Slowly, he moved towards Sango; giving her plenty of time to push him away if he was making her uncomfortable. When she made no move to stop him, Miroku pulled Sango into his arms.

She expected him to move his hand lower but that never happened. Letting go of her nervousness, Sango leaned into his hold. The feel of his strong, warm chest under her face was already making her feel better.

"I can't say what will happen next; however, I do know that Lady Kagome is a strong person. In time, she and Inuyasha will work things out, even if it isn't how we always thought they'd be. She'll come back when she can, and we'll finish our quest to complete the jewel and defeat Naraku. It will take time but know this, Sango, no matter what happens I will be here. By your side no matter what." He heard her gasp and tilted his head down to look at her. She chose that moment to look up at him.

"Miroku," she whispered in a loving tone.

"Shh… Sleep Sango, I'll keep you safe."

Nodding her head, they rolled so he was on his back with her laying on her side. She tentatively wrapped her arm around his stomach.

Miroku held her close and put his chin atop her head. Fidgeting with his beads, he made a silent vow that he'd kill Naraku so he could finally tell Sango how he truly feels and hopefully make her his wife.

With a small squeeze, he let his eyes fall shut to join her into the world of sleep.  _'One day Sango, you'll be mine as I'll be yours.'_

* * *

 

Inuyasha was sitting in a tree, thinking over everything Kikyo had told him before disappearing, again. She would always leave when they picked a place to sleep for the night. Never tell him why or where he was going, just leave.

_'I wonder if this was why Kagome was always so upset with me when I would leave… Feh! It doesn't matter. What is going on with you, Kikyo?'_

**Flashback**

"Inuyasha, why do you follow me? You know I am no longer of the living. Are you truly willing to follow me to Hell?" Her questions caught him off guard. They were traveling towards a rumor of a shard, making great time since she wasn't alive and didn't need to stop like his last group of humans did.

Inuyasha had no idea what to say, so he said what he thought was right. "Yes, I'll follow you anywhere, Kikyo. I love you," and he truly did.

That was the problem. When Kagome came into his life, he was ready to never think about Kikyo again, but Kagome reminded him of Kikyo. When they found out they were stuck working together he figured he'd get used to her, what he didn't expect was to start falling for her.

Kagome was a breath of fresh air; she was strong, independent, and loyal. She also loved him for who he is. Half human, half demon. Then Kikyo was brought back. Once he learned the truth about Naraku tricking them he could never be with Kagome. He loved Kikyo and owed her everything, even if Kikyo went away, every time he was with Kagome, he'd think of Kikyo. It wouldn't be fair to the future miko either, every time they touched, talked, kissed, she'd never know who he was truly seeing.

That wasn't the way either of them wanted to live. Gods, he wished he could say all that to her, explain why he couldn't be with her. He wasn't strong enough, all he could do is hope Kagome would understand.

"Inuyasha? I am not alive. I will never be alive, why not find someone to love?" Kikyo had to make sure his loyalty was solid before she moved forward with her plan. His whole pack would need to die for her plan to work, including Kagome.

The half-demon grabbed her cold, clay hands and pulled them to his chest. Looking into her eyes he wished, not for the first time, Kikyo's eyes would be able to look back at him with life. "I'm with you because I want to be."

He started to lean in, closing the distance between them but before he could kiss her, the dead miko pulled away and started walking again.

**End of Flashback**

It was another day's walk to reach the village that may have a demon with extra abilities, thanks to the jewel. Inuyasha needed this to pan out. Kagome had been gone five days now. He wanted at least one shard before going back to get her to prove he was right. After all, she broke the damn thing, so she needs to be the one to fix it.

Plus, they'd already be done if Kagome didn't go home all the time. Inuyasha was sure of it! He wanted to go after her right away but figured she'd be back in a few days. However, the next morning his half-brother took the kit with him. Miroku claimed it was what Kagome wanted but who'd trust that icy Lord?

 _'What the Hell were you thinkin', Wench? Letting that asshole take Shippo. What was wrong with me?!'_ Thinking about Kagome and Sesshomaru was pissing him off. It was clear he'd miss something while he was off with Kikyo, but what all happened? How close did they get? Why did she trust him? Didn't see realize Sesshomaru would kill her as soon as he got his hands on Tessaiga?!

A smirk crossed his face at that thought.  _'Can't kill her once you get your hands on Tessaiga since you only have one left.'_

It had gotten late so Inuyasha decided to give up on Kikyo coming back any time soon. Closing his eyes, he nodded off until she came back, or the sun came up. Whichever came first.

It would be a full week by the time he got back to the well to get Kagome. Miroku and Sango left two days ago to see if Kagome was back or not. They'd be back together by night fall tomorrow.

Knowing Kagome, she'd be with the others so he wouldn't even need to get her. Everything would be back to normal; his pack would be solid, he'd have a great dinner full of ramen, his brother and the annoying kit were gone, and best of all? He now had two mikos to find shards!

Life was about to be amazing, or so he thought.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold is Sesshomaru's beast talking

It had been a couple of days since Sesshomaru visited the futuristic miko. Her dedication to her training was impressive. Most humans would simply spend a few moments practicing before calling it a day. Not Kagome, the area she brought him to had her blood, sweat, and tears in the ground. The Demon Lord could smell it. He also noticed her fingers were becoming more callused.

It was very easy for Sesshomaru to think during breakfast. It was always a quiet event; in fact, he wouldn’t even use this room if it weren’t for Rin, and now Shippo. Thankfully, both of them understood and respected that The Western Lord enjoyed his quiet. This allowed him time to think while they talked in low voices.

Originally, he worried Shippo would turn Rin into a little monster. If that happened, he had no idea how he’d handle it. Two kids running around without any respect for their elders. It made him wonder if Shippo acting out had to do with him not trusting Inuyasha, or possibly holding a grudge against the half-demon. This little demon had to watch a role model hurt his mother over and over while he was too little to do anything to protect her. Luckily his fears were for nothing, not that Lord Sesshomaru would ever be afraid.

**_The Miko will be here soon._ **

_Indeed._

**_Will you tell the little ones?_ **

_Hn. Now leave._

Part of Sesshomaru didn’t want to tell them yet. He knew once he did, they would be too excited for their lessons. The other part of him, a part he’d never admit to having, couldn’t help but look forward to their reactions. Little Shippo had been very well behaved, to the Lord’s surprise. Yes, it would be acceptable for them to miss one day.

Before he told them, Sesshomaru looked towards Rin’s nanny so he could give a slight nod, indicating the pups would be up in a moment.

“Rin, Kit, the miko will be here by dinner time.” With that done, he stood and left their nanny to handle their excitement. He needed to check on his army before Kagome arrived. If she was here, then there was a good chance trouble would follow.

**_We can protect her._ **

_Hn._

While the Western Lord went on with his day, he let a small smirk grace his face as the two bolted out of the dining hall, somehow managing to outrun their full demon nanny.

“MAMA’S COMING HOME!” Echoed off the castle walls.

* * *

 

The two best friends worked hard to make sure their rooms were clean, and beds made. If Kagome came home to find it a mess, she’d make them clean it before they could spend time with her.

“Hey, Rin? Do you think Kagome will be safe here? This whole castle is full of demons. I know they’re nice to you, but that’s just because you’re Lord Sesshomaru’s ward. Kagome isn’t and she’s a miko.” Shippo would do anything to protect his mama. As a kit, he knew he’d be no match against a castle full of demons. If anything went wrong, he’d be unable to help.

“Rin knows Kagome-san will be safe. Lord Sesshomaru wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her.” Rin was certain Kagome would be perfectly fine at the castle. Shippo wished he felt the same. Deciding it would be best to agree with Rin, he gave her a nod as they continued to their sitting room. Neither knew how long Kagome would be here so they were planning as much as they could into one day. On the top of that list? Show his Mama his new trick!

Raku was very interested in meeting this Kagome that everyone talked about. From Rin and Shippo, she knew they loved her as a mother. The two have gotten very close while the Miko was away which worried her. What if the time came and Kagome took the kit while her Lord kept Rin. Would either of the children heal? As Rin’s nanny, she felt it was her job to look out for her past physical needs. She wanted Rin and now Shippo to be happy as well. They have both seen too much for such young ages if you asked her and she wanted them to be kids for as long as possible. This upcoming battle would decide the fate of all, demon and humans alike. She just hoped neither child lost a parent...

_‘If only Sesshomaru-sama and this Kagome were mated.’_

Kagome rushed out the shrine’s back doors towards the Bone Eaters Well. Jumping in, she felt the magic take her closer to Shippo and Rin.

Unsure if it was due to her excitement or if her upper body strength had gotten better, Kagome made it to the top in no time. She was so excited to see her kiddos she forgot to check her surroundings before she reached the top of the well.

 _‘How am I going to get to the West? It’ll take me weeks to walk there.’_  Kagome thought as she pulled herself up over the edge.

Throwing her legs over the lip of the well, she looked up and froze. Standing in front of her was a gorgeous man, well demon. He looked similar to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, but his eyes were brown, not gold. His hair was also different, instead of silver his was black. Taking her time, she looked at him from head to toe. That’s when she noticed the western symbol on his chest armor, which made her relax.

“Miko Kagome.” His soft voice startled Kagome out of her thoughts as she looked back to his eyes.

 _‘He’s really hot!’_ As soon as that thought passed through her mind she blushed and looked down.

Being able to smell the small amount of arousal and a large amount of embarrassment he let out a small chuckle.  _‘Silly woman. No need for embarrassment.’_

“Miko Kagome, I am Akio; the head of the Western Army. I have been sent here by Lord Sesshomaru himself to bring you back to his home.” He offered her a kind smile to help ease her worries.

Taking a moment, Kagome thanked every Kami she knew of that he didn’t mention her arousal, knowing he could easily smell it. She gave Akio a quick nod and walked over to him.

Akio grabbed her arm to pull her close to his body. He was tall, roughly the same height as Sesshomaru if she had to guess. Another difference was their armor. Sesshomaru had spikes on his, something she always worried about with her clumsy ways, but Akio’s didn’t. Hence her still being alive, he held her close, so her upper body and face was pressed to his chest plate.

Kagome gasped when she felt his firm arm wrap around her waist.  Looking at the demon in shock, he met her eyes and smirked down at her.  _‘Yep, he knows Sesshomaru. Damn arrogant demons.’_

Akio was enjoying himself. He knew for his Lord to send him out here to bring this strangely dressed human woman back to the Western palace there was something special about her. He needed to be careful with the small woman, but Akio couldn’t help it, she was so easy to get a reaction out of. No matter what, this was going to be a fun flight back to the West for the inu demon.

Thinking it over, Akio decided the best way to start this trip off would be to take off, without any warning. Kagome let out a small squeak while grabbing onto him with a death grip. She could feel him laughing at her from the vibrations through his chest. She was too worried about him dropping her to scold him or retaliate though.

 _‘Stupid demons and their super demon speed.’_  The young miko thought as they rushed through the air.

As the leader of the Western Army, Akio has known Sesshomaru for an extremely long time. He ran the West in a strict, yet fair way. Everything had a time and place. This fiery young woman was going to turn the West upside down and Akio couldn’t wait. This was going to be great.

* * *

 

One thing Sesshomaru prided himself on, besides his superior fighting skills, perfect looks, and being the most powerful demon to ever live, was his ability to know everything that was happening in his home. While Sesshomaru was there, he’d always hide his sent and aura so no one would know he was coming before he wanted them to. This came in handy as he slowed his pace to hear the maids talking about him.

“Can you believe it?! Lord Sesshomaru is letting  _another_  human stay here. At least the little one is just a child. But now? A human woman in her prime! Do you think he’s taken after his father? A human whore for a lover? Mate?”

“Don’t be stupid, our Lord would never touch a human. Besides, I bet she doesn’t last the night here. You know someone will take her to get answers or have their fun with her. Possibly both.”

_This Sesshomaru’s lover? This Sesshomaru has no need for a lover nor a mate._

**She is beautiful. We could do much worse.**

_Why must you voice your opinions on the miko?_

**She is strong, motherly, and loyal. I bet once you got to know her, she would make an excellent lover, imagine what all you could...**

Sesshomaru quickly cut his beast off by placing stronger mental chains on his beast. The last thing Sesshomaru needed was those thoughts running wild in his head. However, the maids did have a point. With Kagome staying here she would be a target and as his ally, it was his job to protect her. Damn woman wasn’t even here, yet already causing him problems.

_She will always need to be close by._

Originally, the Western Lord planned on having Kagome stay in a guest wing, on the opposite side of his castle, just as anyone visiting the West would. But thinking over what he’d heard, Sesshomaru knew it would be best to move Kagome closer to himself. At least that’s what he was telling himself.

Hearing enough, Sesshomaru allowed himself to be felt, both maids stiffened instantly and hit the ground to bow down. Everyone knows you do  **not** upset the Western Lord unless you want to die. If you really pissed him off, he could kill you, bring you back from the dead just to kill you again. Rumer had it, you don’t want to die by his hands once, let alone twice.

“You will prepare a room near the children for the Miko.” He kept walking, seeing no reason to wait on the maid's response.

One of the two females couldn’t believe what she was hearing, he wanted that human miko near him at night?! She was much better for the Western Lord than any human could be. Even as a maid, a full-blooded inu demon would be higher up on the social ladder than any pathetic human.;

“My Lord, why would you ever want her to taint young Rin or try and push herself on you while you sleep?” She tried to sound concerned so he’d see she could be a loyal mate.

Sesshomaru stopped walking and let the corner of his eye make contact with the maid before he responded in a voice so cold, he could freeze you right where you stood. “You dare question this Sesshomaru in his own home?”

Knowing she had crossed the line, she put her head on the floor to pray for forgiveness. “I’m so, so sorry My Lord. I didn’t, I wouldn’t-” but she was cut off by a hit to her upper arm with his poisonous whip.

“Do not question this Sesshomaru again,” he then walked away. He would let her stress herself out with what else she had coming her way. It was always interesting to see how long a demon would go before they came to him asking for their punishment. That was the best part for Sesshomaru, letting them mentally torture themselves.

Walking back to his study with the intent to skip lunch so he could get as much work done as possible before the little miko came and messed up his home life. Sighing, he knew that wasn’t going to happen when he felt who was in his study waiting for him.

He calmly walked into his study and sat on his large red pillow by his desk. Maybe if he acted as if he were alone, they would get the hint and leave him be.

“Sesshomaru.”

Inwardly sighing, he knew luck wasn’t on his side.


	5. Chapter 5

Miroku, Sango, and Kirara met up with Inuyasha and Kikyo a couple of hours before the sun showed any signs of setting. Sango hoped to keep some distance from the half-demon so when he demanded they kept traveling towards a rumor of a shard, she quickly agreed.

Once the demon was killed, the gang agreed to keep traveling a while longer; all except Kikyo, she pulled Inuyasha aside. They didn’t know what was going on but the dead miko left. The couple shrugged it off and took flight till it was time to make camp.

A few hours later, Inuyasha stopped running and waited for Kirara to land. The sun would be setting soon so the group needed to make camp for the night while the humans could still see what they were doing.

“Oi! I’ll go hunt somethin’. You two make camp.”

“Wait, where did Kikyo go?” If Sango was forced to deal with the dead woman then she wanted to know everything that was going on.

“Feh, I don’t know, she said she’ll be back in a few days.” He didn’t stick around, just answered them and left. It was odd being the one having someone leave them instead of the other way around. Inuyasha wasn’t a fan of it.

“Surprise, surprise I bet she’s with Naraku.” Sango muttered.

“I’ll go get some firewood, try to relax. Even with Lady Kikyo gone, Inuyasha is in a decent mood. Let’s not spoil it.”

“Fine.” She wasn’t thrilled but the monk was right. They were able to take down a demon that had three shards instead of one as they originally thought. Kikyo wasn’t around to creep anyone out, and they were setting up camp at a decent time for once. Overall, it was a good night.

When Miroku walked back into camp, Sango had already sat down, cleaning her weapon. The way the light from the setting sun was shining on her made it hit home just how much he truly did love her. Starting the fire, he sat by her. Giving enough room for her to work but also close enough that he could reach over and touch her.

“My dear Sango, you look a little stressed, may I help you relax?” His question was spoken while giving her a sexy look.

Narrowing her eyes, she simply said “can it, Monk.”

With a nervous laugh, he placed his staff across his lap and went into meditation. Miroku knew Sango didn’t understand why he acted like this, but it was the only way he knew how to break the tension he was feeling. Loving her and wanting a life with her but not being able to act upon those feelings was slowly eating away at him.

After dinner Inuyasha was up in a tree he picked for the night thinking over things. When he looked down, he saw Miroku leaning on the tree with Sango laying near him. The half-demon had noticed that they were closer than normal, while Miroku still got knocked out at least once a day, Inuyasha would still see them walk close together.

‘ _Keh. People think I don’t notice things.’_ Inuyasha thought right as a slap could be heard.  _‘He’ll never learn...’_

A few hours later, Inuyasha was still resting in his tree, eyes closed trying to figure out where they should go come normal.  Miroku was sitting against a tree with his staff when Sango looked over at him.

_‘Come on, you can do this! What’s the difference sleeping next to him with or without Inuyasha around. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.... I know the difference; he may not really care for me and push me away with someone else nearby.’_

She looked away, scared at what she may see but couldn’t stop herself from looking over to him again. Sango let out a small gasp when she noticed Miroku was looking back at her. He tilted his head to the side in a curious manor and studied her. A minute later he slowly lifted one arm to offer her a spot, if she wanted it.

A small smile spread across her lips when she realized how well the man in front of her truly knew her. It was scary; he was constantly asking women, of all walks of life, to bear his children but he’d never asked her besides when they met. Actually, he never talked about a future with her at all. Sango truly hoped once Naraku was gone they’d take the next step, together.

She walked over to him and laid her head on his leg facing out towards the fire. When his arm went around her, she felt butterflies in her stomach; hell, these butterflies might have a jewel shard in them for how big they were. Slowing down her racing heart, she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her with a bright smile on her face.

Miroku slowly ran his hands through her hair enjoying the feel of her in his arms. He knew Sango worried but he couldn’t settle down until Naraku was dead. He wouldn’t hold her back from finding love if something were to happen to him. If he told her he wanted to marry her as soon as this was over and he didn’t make it, he knew she would morn him forever. He couldn’t risk that. Miroku would enjoy every moment with his Sango while he could and hope it all worked out in the end. Closing his eyes, he joined his love in sleep.

Inuyasha smirked when he saw what was happening below. Looking up at the dark sky he once again found himself wondering where Kikyo was. Sadly, he had a feeling it would be somewhere near Naraku. She was different now. Not only was she undead but she was cold towards him. Her actions, even words lead him to believe she only stayed by him to drag him to hell. The poor half-demon wished he could talk to her, the old her. They would understand that Naraku tricked them, their love was pure even if it was short lived. He knew he owed Kikyo for turning on her all those years ago but he couldn’t help but wonder what if he stayed here, with Kagome.

 _‘Kagome,’_ knowing she wasn’t coming back any time soon hurt. How could she not be back with him? He knew at that moment it was time to head towards the well. He’d go see her, apologize and she’d come back like nothing ever happened. Or so he hoped, they’ve never been in this position before. Maybe he could talk to Kikyo before they get to the well and see if there is any hope in changing her mind. It hurt to have her in his arms. He loved Kikyo so much, but it was only a shell of the woman he loved. Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Tomorrow would be another long day.

**Sesshomaru’s Study**

“Sesshomaru.”

Inwardly sighing, he knew luck wasn’t on his side. Sesshomaru looked up at the only two demons that could talk to him whenever and however they pleased. He took a deep breath through his nose to calm himself as he waited for Yukio and Yukiko to speak. Whatever they were about to say he knew it would be caused by the miko. ‘ _Damn woman.’_

“What are you going to do with the kit? Him and Rin are growing closer every day. What do you see happening when he leaves young Rin to be with his mother?” Yukiko questioned the Western Lord.

Knowing anything he said wouldn’t be the correct answer, Sesshomaru simply answered with a “hn.”

“This Kagome they speak of, Rin looks up to her. When we were working on her hiding skills, she told me a few stories about the young miko. I must say she sounds like an amazing woman. Maybe it’s time Rin had a mother.” Yukio added to his twin sister’s questions. In Yukio’s mind, Yukiko needed to learn how to praise the pup, offer an idea for him to claim as his own later on. To the twins, Sesshomaru was still fairly young.

Yukiko took care of Sesshomaru as a pup and did his schooling. Yukio had been working with Sesshomaru since he was old enough to train. When his father left his family to start a new one, Yukio took on the father role in hopes to keep the young Lord from being tainted by his parents.

The twins knew about all the mating proposals he was sent but also knew, no matter how much it killed them after Sesshomaru watched his father leave his mother for a human princess he’d never mate. The Western Lord was forced to watch his mother slowly fall farther and farther into a deep depression until she couldn’t live in the Western Castle with her only son anymore. Leaving her young pup alone.

While everyone in the study, including Sesshomaru, knew he had too much honor to ever do that to his mate. Even if he didn’t love his mate, he’d never hurt his pup the way his parents did to him. The issue was, Sesshomaru didn’t feel he could ever trust a female to have the same thoughts on the subject. Even if he wasn’t worried about pups, the last thing Sesshomaru would ever let happen is some bitch make a fool of him.

“This Sesshomaru has no need for a mate. As for the kit, This One is sure, even after Naraku is taken care of, the Miko will come to visit Rin and bring the kit. She is attached to both as they are to her.”

“What about you? Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone.”

Letting loose a warning growl, Sesshomaru looked up at his second mother, “Do not push me, Yukiko. Father did not care about anything but the half-breed and his lover.”

“My Lord, please just hear us out. We have known you your whole life. We want you to be happy but also, we want you to have all that you deserve or even desire! While you don’t see what a mate could offer, please just think about it. The Southern Lord would like to send his daughter over to see if you two get along. Would you at least think it over before you tell him no?”

“Hn.”

Knowing they hit a dead end they simply bowed and left the room. Maybe this Kagome could open him up to the idea. The South would be a great alliance for the West and how he is with Rin shows his beast truly wants to be a father.

_‘Please let this Kagome help him.’_

**Outside the Western Gate**

Akio and Kagome were almost to the Western castle. About halfway into the flight the young miko started to doze off. After she almost fell, Akio quickly scooped her up into his arms, holding her bridal style. The last thing Akio wanted to do was drop Kagome.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, Akio couldn’t help but notice that she was quite attractive. Her hair was different than most, the long ebony locks with blue highlights held waves to them. This was new for both demons and humans. Everyone had straight hair around here, some would try to curl their hair, but it never held. Hers? It made him want to run his fingers through the lushes locks. Her eyes also pulled him in, the only others he had ever seen with those bright blue eyes were from the wolf tribe out East. Humans always had brown, dull in his opinion eyes. Now her clothing, it was truly a blessing to see this young miko in such odd apparel. Her rose pink, long sleeve shirt showed off her nice breasts and thin waist. Each time she took a breath the fabric would stretch to accommodate her movement. The indecently short shorts she was wearing showed off her long legs that were silky smooth to the touch.  Akio decided the first thing he’d do when he arrived at the West was find out if she was intended to the Lord’s half-brother. If she wasn’t, he might be interested in courting the little female himself. Hell, even if she was, she didn’t smell of the male so it wasn’t a true claim. Smirking at the idea of a challenge, he pushed a little harder so they could get to the castle faster.

Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “Kagome, we are here.” As he pulled away, he couldn’t help but smell the amazing scent that screamed Kagome. While flying her scent wasn’t as strong with the wind pushing it behind them, but nuzzling into her hair Akio was able to get a good wif of it. He smiled down at Kagome as she opened her eyes. The blush that was rapidly covering her face from the position they were in, gave him great joy. When she tried to push him away, he smirked before pulling her closer to him as she narrowed her eyes in response.

“What’s that smirk for?” She snapped. Not enjoying the idea of someone making fun of her.

He, of course, found her response entertaining. How in the world did the Western Lord become allied with this feisty woman, “you blush easily is all.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for snapping at you. I'm just used to demons looking down at me for being human.” She responded so quickly due to his honest answer that she didn’t filter what she was saying. But it was too late now, her fear was out there.

“Do you let them?” Akio was curious as to what he could get out of her before they landed. This could be his only chance to speak to her before she flips the Western lands upside down.

“No! I’m my own person. I don’t belong to anyone but myself! I’m so tired of men claiming me when they don’t even know me or ask me what I want.” Coming clean and getting that off her chest made her feel lighter than she had since she fell down the well for the first time.

Inuyasha was constantly calling her names, telling her how worthless she was, and pathetic yet when someone would show any sort of interest he’d freak out and blame her! Claim no one could have her. Then you have Kouga, while he was gorgeous, he was promised to someone else. How can you basically be engaged to someone but claim another as “your woman?” Kagome told him every time he claimed her as her own, she turned him down.

Akio was shocked. How do you respond to something like that? He’s never heard of a female who didn’t go out looking for a male to take care of her. Didn’t she want an alpha to care for her? Sire pups? What about provide for her or keep her safe? Could she really mean that she doesn’t want a male to claim her?

“Do you prefer other women?” That was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

“What? No, while I do know some people who do prefer the same sex I am interested in men. I don’t care if they are human, hanyo, or full demon. As long as they love me for me and our family, I’ll be happy.”

“Love? That cannot be all that you desire. Do you not wish for a life full of luxuries? To live without fear of where you will sleep or get your next meal from?” He asked, Akio was growing more and more curious of this strange human.

“While that is something I worry about, I’ve been traveling the land for the past two years, Akio. I don’t need a fancy place to live or wealth. Just a home. A home is where you family is... Oh my Kami! Is that it?” She pointed to the Western castle.

Akio was floored by her answer; he smelled no lies from her when she spoke. Well now he knew for sure there was nothing going on between her and his Lord, but his half-brother was another story. Coming back to what she was saying, he saw the castle.

“Yes, that is Lord Sesshomaru’s home.” They slowed and landed right outside the large wooden doors that had the Western moon carved in the center. “Be ready Miko Kagome, many here won’t accept you for being here. After what happened before in the West don’t be shocked if anyone tries anything. I won’t let anything happen to you but be on your guard.” That was all he had time to say as the doors opened.

Kagome couldn’t help but wonder what Akio meant by that.  _‘What happened that would cause Akio to worry? What happened before in Sesshomaru’s home?_ ’ 

* * *

 

Yukiko means Snow Girl

Yukio means Snow Boy


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Palace in the Sky**

' _Why in the world has my son invited the Shikon Miko to his home? Does he wish to cause an uproar?'_

**Potential mate.**

' _You think? I do not think he will ever forgive his father or agree to a mate. Sadly, I think he will end up dying alone.'_ That thought alone caused a lone tear to fall from her eyes. While it destroyed her to have her mate choose another, she also understood they mated for political gain. He treated her well but never loved her as she did him. In the end, it was too much for the Western Lady to handle.

**She is strong.**

' _Yes, she is but what about the daughter of the Southern Lord? She is also strong, would offer strong pups, and already has the approval from the other lords of the land. Plus, this miko is only a human.'_ When her beast didn't respond, she knew she had given her something to think about. Could this miko thaw her son's frozen heart?

Looking back into her mirror she saw the look Akio was giving the young miko.  _'Hmm… Maybe the miko will be part of the West one way or another. I hope you don't do something stupid, Little One. There are many that will kill you just for being a human, let alone a miko._

Having the information, she needed, Sesshomaru's mother turned from the mirror and sat on her large white pillow to signal her servant to pour the tea. Maybe it was time to face her past and go back to the West. She knew the memories would come back to haunt her, but she was finally in a place where she could mentally handle it.

While being a Lord was always stressful, the pressure Sesshomaru was under surpassed that of a typical Lord. He had all three major Lords trying to get him to choose a mate and now the Southern Lord would be sending his daughter to the West in order to form an alliance by Sesshomaru mating with Lady Kiyoko. This would be very beneficial to the south and help the West a little if war ever came about.

Thinking over the history her son and Lady Kiyoko had, she laughed. Full, very unlady like, laugh. Every time Kiyoko showed up; she was all over Sesshomaru. When they were about 200 summers old, Kiyoko drove Sesshomaru to isolation. She remembered him explaining to his father it was either hide from the clingy demoness or kill her. Laughing again, she called her maid to get everything prepared. Yes, it was time she went back to the West and saw her son. Sesshomaru was a great Lord but he'd need help with what was coming next. Plus, this miko would be fun to play with. Hopefully, she'll get the closure she needs as well.

**The Western Castle**

Jaken was dead. There was no other alternative, as soon as he told his Lord what happened he would be killed, again. Not only did the West have the annoying human miko on the way, two kids to run after (because one wasn't enough), he also had to tell his Lord Lady Mother was seen by spies coming here! Oh, he was going to be killed. Running as fast as his short legs could carry him, he headed for Sesshomaru's study to inform him.

Knocking on the sturdy door he squawked, "Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Your humble servant has news from the Western spies!"  _'Why was he not answering his knock? Maybe the rumors were true, was Lord Sesshomaru truly losing his mind…'_

"Oh, my Lord, what has happened to you? Are you truly going soft?"

He was about to stand up when a cold, harsh voice said "Jaken." Without getting the chance to say anything or get up Sesshomaru kicked him through the wall. His servants would be irritated they have another wall to fix but that was a benefit to being a Lord. No one dared complain to you.

Sesshomaru was meeting The Western General in his office to set up "training" for his men. Smirking at the idea of working his men harder than normal since the miko could heal them. The Western Lord knew it would be a good day, for him at least. The miko may have had one good idea at least, not that he would ever tell her that.

' _This Sesshomaru going soft? We shall see at training won't we.'_ He scoffed mentally.

**Flashback**

Coming back towards camp from his hunt, Sesshomaru stopped when he smelled the miko in a different area from the rest of the pack.

' _Why is that foolish woman out here, alone, at night?'_  He wondered. Sesshomaru was curious but couldn't let it seem like that was his purpose for checking on her. If she thought he was worried or curious he'd never hear the end of it, no it had to seem like a valid purpose to check on the miko. A test would be perfect. Sesshomaru let his aura out to see if she would notice him. From past experience, Sesshomaru noticed Kagome would wander off when his half-brother hurt her or she needed to think. With silent steps, he was able to walk right behind her before she noticed him. Sesshomaru smirked when Kagome jumped up, hand over her heart with a look of horror on her face.

Thankful that she didn't scream and hurt his sensitive ears he simply sat down by her looking at the water in front of them. He would never say it out loud, but he enjoyed her knowledge of the future, anything that could be helpful to him in the long run. Plus, it irritated the hell out of his half-brother when he could smell Sesshomaru on the miko.

The good thing about the miko was you didn't have to wait long for her to start talking.

Sitting in a low bow she waited for him to accept her offer of respect.

' _Hn, it would seem she is the same as all the other females after all. I wonder if she'll ask this Sesshomaru to mate her. As if This Sesshomaru would mate her, his half-brother's wench.'_ For some reason, he felt a tad disappointed.

"Miko."

Hearing her name, Kagome sat up, squared her shoulders and looked him in the eyes. If he didn't have his strong sense of smell, he would never know she was scared. "Lord Sesshomaru, I would like to ask you something."

' _She is using my title; I wonder what this is about. Must be serious if she is talking to me as a lord. Maybe gold or jewels.'_

When he didn't respond she assumed she could take that as a yes to continue talking. She looked back down, there was no way she could look at his cold eyes and ask something like this.

' _He'll think I'm so pathetic. Another example of a worthless human.'_  She had no option though. Kagome had to do this for not only herself but her family back home and her family here.

"I um... well I want to … I need to" her nervous rambling was cut off by Sesshomaru.

"Miko."

' _Crap. If he gets irritated with me then he'll never agree. Come on Kags! Just say it.'_

"I want to make a trade with you. Well maybe more like a deal?"

Sesshomaru could feel his beast peeking up at the idea of the miko thinking she had something of value to trade with him. He couldn't help but be interested. "Go on."

"My Lord," she was so buys looking at her hands that she missed his eyebrow shooting up into his hairline.

**My Lord?**

_Indeed._ He was brought back to reality when she kept talking.

"I wanted to ask if I could help with Rin or teaching her maybe? I'm not really sure, anything to help so I could go home for a while and see if maybe you could take Shippo with you." She finished talking in such a low voice that Sesshomaru had to strain to hear it.

**Hahahahahaha**

He had to push his beast back down in order to think. While he doesn't' curse the only thing, he could think of to say was "hell no."

Rin, his sweet little Rin was talkative but that was for Jaken to deal with. The kit on the other hand, while it was fun to watch him bother Inuyasha and set him off just to have the half-breed be sat by the miko, he had more energy than all the demons on his land combined!  _'Why would the miko need to go home and stay home? She always comes back after a few days, what's changed?'_

"No." almost instantly the smell of salt water hit him. He looked over at the woman as his beast spoke up.

**Why would she cry?**

"Miko, why are you crying?"

"Sesshomaru please, I'll do anything. I need your help and I can only talk to you. Kouga is great and all, I trust him to watch Shippo but he will assume that it's my way of saying I'll be his woman. I need to leave in order to take care of my future life and family. I feel like I'm going to let everyone down. I need help, and I'll do anything I can in order to pay for the help you would be giving me." Kagome barely got everything out before she started to sob. She had never felt this separate in her whole life. She ended up falling over on herself, her head on her folded legs and arms. This was too much; she was only 17 years old. How was she supposed to not only live two lives at the same time but save the world and take care of her family all at once while going to school?!

For the first time in Sesshomaru's adult life, he was shocked. While humans were known for being weak, he has never seen someone look like this since his mother found out his father was leaving them.

**Help her.**

Not knowing what to do, he did what he thought he should. He put his clawed hand on her back. Sesshomaru felt her stiffen buy once again this little human surprised him when she jumped into his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, thankful that he wasn't wearing his armor. Kagome didn't' even worry about him killing her since at this point, she had already crossed a line she figured getting some comfort might be worth him saying no.

_This Sesshomaru will kill her._

**No. You are Alpha, must care for the pack.**

Is The Western Lord rolled his eyes he'd be rolling his eyes to the heavens right now. He was alpha and she was the female alpha of this little pack so he would help. He may end up killing everyone in the end, but he would live up to the title of alpha. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shaking form and waited for her to cry it out. With Rin, he knew she would cry then be okay again. He was just hoping that it would be the same with the miko. After a while, she finally stopped crying and to his dismay, fell asleep. There was no way he was going to go back to camp like this. Lord Sesshomaru would never be seen acting kind.

 _'Damn this woman.'_ Now the Western Lord was stuck here, with the sleeping woman, until he could sense the half-breed running away to see his dead lover before he could bring Kagome back to camp.

After about 20 minutes Inuyasha finally took off. It was late enough the other two humans were already asleep so he was able to bring the sleeping woman to the odd bag thing she slept in.

 _'What an odd contraption'_ he thought as he weighed the pros and cons on having one for Rin. When Sesshomaru realized that his mind was being occupied by a bag, Sesshomaru left to go hunt. He needed to kill something.

...

It took her a few weeks to find time to speak with Sesshomaru again. The first week was just her avoiding him and waiting for her death. When that didn't come, she felt she needed to apologize to him.  _'I so don't want to do this. Stupid arrogant dog demons.'_ Waiting till it was almost time to get up for the day, Kagome tried to get out of her sleeping bag without waking Rin or Shippo. Man, those two could cuddle!

Kagome knew it was hopeless. There was no way she'd be able to get out of the sleeping bag without waking one or both children so she went to plan B. She turned her head till she was able to look at the Lord in question.

After a minute of watching him "sleep", he opened his eyes and looked at her.  _'Oh shit. Maybe I can't do this.'_ Kagome thought when Sesshomaru simply raised one eyebrow, in a questioning manner. She sighed, knowing it was time to put aside her pride and talk to him. Somehow, as if knowing what she wanted, he looked down to the sleeping bag once before closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the tree again.

Looking down where his eyes were telling her to, Kagome saw a small note on her makeshift pillow. When she saw what it said she gasped in surprise. Shippo woke up to the sound and asked if everything was okay with her. Kagome was trying so hard not to cry that all she could do was give a simple nod before getting up to start the day.

' _I'll do just that Sesshomaru, don't you worry.'_ Her whole day just took a turn for the better.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all,   
> I hurt my hand so typing has been very slow. Here's chapter 7! Added another 1,000 from the original!

As the large Western doors opened for Akio and Kagome, the demons and demonesses that were lucky enough to live within the castle walls watched in shock as the little kit ran into the  miko’s  waiting arms and started to cry. Akio was the only thing that stopped Kagome from falling over when the red bundle of fur crashed into her. A human and a demon child was unheard of, but a miko with a demon child? Never. Many in the castle felt something wasn’t right, the miko must be up to something.

Akio was also surprised by the kit’s outburst. He ha d  his arm around Kagome’s lower back to keep her up right while the little ball of copper fur cried into the miko’s neck, “I missed you so much, Mama! I’m so glad you’re here.” 

_ ‘Mama? He is a full demon and she still smells of her innocence. Is this whole pack of hers insane?’ _  Akio could honestly say he’s never met a more puzzling person in his centuries of life. 

Akio waited until he was positive Kagome would be able to keep her footing before he removed his arm from her back. Just as the Western General was about to leave to find his Lord, he saw young Rin running down the path towards them. 

No one in the area moved a muscle. The Lord’s ward was completely off limits; you didn’t touch her, you didn’t hurt her, and if you made her cry for any reason, you would be killed by Sesshomaru. 

Once she was closer, she yelled “Rin is so happy to see you, Kagome-san! Rin and Shippo have planned so many things for us to do together!” The child latched onto Kagome’s leg. 

The instant Rin grabbed her leg to hug her, Kagome dropped to her knees to hold the Lord’s ward just as she did Shippo. The three of them were in their own little bubble of joy until Yukio and Yukiko broke them up.

“Akio, you are to come with me to Lord Sesshomaru’s study.” Yukio said before he left the women behind with Akio following. 

“Miko Kagome, I am Yukiko. Please, follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.” 

“Who was that? The one Akio went with?”

“That was my twin brother, Yukio. I’m sure you’ll see him again soon.”

As Kagome walked with Yukiko the children shared everything she missed while she was gone; each holding one of her hands. The Western servants and guards couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They wanted to know more but knew if they didn’t get back to work right away, they’d have to face the Western Lord’s wrath. 

After Yukiko showed Kagome to her rooms, the older white haired  inu  left the miko with the children. The babbling wasn’t something she wanted to hear. Kagome decided it would be best if the three of them went to the garden for a bit. They were practically bouncing off the walls with the energy those two had.

Rin quickly chose the perfect spot for them to rest while  they  caught up with each other. The area had flowers of all colors surrounding them while a nice tree offered them shade. Kagome wondered if Rin did all this or if Sesshomaru always had such an exquisite garden. 

Looking towards her growing kit, Kagome offered him a chance to show off his new tricks. “So Shippo, I hear you have learned some knew tricks...” 

Instantly Shippo puffed up his little demon chest with pride. He always loved impressing Kagome and she knew to give him the respect and motherly pride he deserved. 

“Yep! Do you  wanna  see?!”

“Well of course I do!” Rin and Kagome started to laugh when  Shippo  jumped up and ran to hide behind a tree a few yards in front of them. 

Without even thinking about her actions, Kagome brought Rin on her lap just like a real mother would. Both waited to see what the little kit was up to. This perfect family photo look was what Sesshomaru, Akio, and Yukio walked up to. Yukio wanted to let the small group  be  but their Lord had other ideas.

“Miko, this is Yukio.”

The older  inu  twin nodded his head while Kagome smiled up at him with Rin still in her lap.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kagome! Even if some choose not to use it.” She finished with a slight glare directed towards Sesshomaru’s direction.

Yukio was about to respond to Kagome; explain she needs to show their Lord respect buy Sesshomaru spoke up before he could. “He will be working with you any time you are here.”

Kagome listened to what the Western Lord was saying but didn’t understand what he was getting at. “He will? What will we be working on? How long do you, HEY WAIT! I’M TALKING TO YOU! SESSHOMARU!”

Akio and Yukio stood there in shock. What was going on? Not only did Sesshomaru manage to irritate the young miko in less than three sentences but he didn’t' kill her for calling him by his name without his title. Sesshomaru even ignored her jab about him calling her miko and not by her name.

The two males glanced at each other as their Lord kept walking away, leaving a very frustrated woman behind. Akio lifted his eyebrow in question while Yukio shrugged in response. They wanted to know the same thing. Why does she speak so informal with him? Anyone else would be killed on the spot for such a blatant act of disrespect for him as a Lord. Even the other three main Lords wouldn’t dare try such a thing with him.

Rushing a bit to catch up with the Western Lord, Akio looked over his shoulder at the angry woman before asking, “My Lord, aren’t you going to tell her what the plan is?” 

Without breaking his stride, he simply gave Akio a death glare that clearly said, “you dare question This Sesshomaru?”

“My apologies, Lord  Sesshomaru .” Akio quickly showed the Western Lord his neck as a sign of submission.

Yukio left Akio and  Sesshomaru  so he could nap. He was getting older and wanted to be well rested when the Western Lady returned. Oh ,  what a great week this would be for the older  inu .

Akio wasn’t as blessed. Sitting in  Sesshomaru’s  study, Akio worked out the training plan while Kagome was here. That was going well until  Jaken  finally regained consciousness.

“My Lord! The Western spies have spotted Lady Mother heading this way.”

Sesshomaru  was  ready to kill someone.  _ ‘Why would she be here now? She hasn’t stepped foot in the West since Father left us for his lover.’ _  Mentally sighing, he knew this would be the perfect time for him to test Kagome’s skills. If she managed to heal his Army once  Sesshomaru  was done with them, it might just be worth the drama. Yes, letting loose would be quite enjoyable. He smirked as he told Akio he was dismissed. 

Once Sesshomaru dismissed him, Akio went to his room so he could mentally prepare himself for the “training” his Lord had in mind. After being dumb enough to question his Lord’s plans, Akio knew it was going to be a long day. 

Having a  miko  there to heal the Western troops was a huge advantage in battle, but in training? This was going to be horrible; his question didn’t help matters either.  _ ‘At least he won’t kill us all,  _ _ mikos _ _  can heal not bring us back to life.’  _ Akio just hoped he knew what Kagome was doing, and maybe knew how to put their Lord in a better mood.

* * *

 

While the male  inus  left for their meeting, Kagome was trying to stay calm. The young  miko  understood the Western Lord was helping her and this agreement was her idea, she just wasn’t okay with  Sesshomaru  treating her like a servant. She decided to just let it go, he put up a lot from her. Kagome knew she wasn’t the easiest for him to get along with since he was used to everyone bowing down to him while she felt they were equal. Maybe not in strength but they did balance each other out. Giving the Western men one last death glare towards their backs, Kagome told  Shippo  they were ready.

“Okay  Shippo , we’re ready to see what you’ve learned since I’ve been home!” 

The little kit slowly walked back towards them from behind the tree. Rin and Kagome gave each other a quick, confused look before turning back to  Shippo . Why did he come back out? They couldn’t find anything different about him... He just walked behind the tree then back out again.

Kagome gasped when another  Shippo  popped up behind them and gave her a hug and another one from Rin’s left. The girls jumped up, Rin still in Kagome’s arms as they cheered  Shippo’s  name. Kagome was so proud, more and more of her favorite little kits kept popping up until there were a dozen. 

After some tag with the mini  Shippo  Army, the two humans were started to get tired.  Shippo  called back his copies till he was the only one left. Once he was done, Kagome gave him a huge hug and whispered into his ear, “I’m so proud of you,  B aby. I know your parents would be too.” He was beaming with joy, a little sad to think his mom and dad weren’t here to see him but it was okay since Kagome was. 

The little group went to the castle to clean up. The children needed to do their lessons and Kagome had some work to do with Yukio. It was going to be a long day for the young  miko .

A few hours later...

The sounds of leaves being crushed and twigs being snapped fell to deaf ears. The only sound Kagome recognized was the pounding of her heart. Something was wrong, your heart shouldn’t go this fast nor pound this hard. Her breathing, if you could call it that, wasn't’ eight either. Kagome’s lungs were on fire! With each inhale the pain she felt lead her to believe this would be her last. Her legs were also suffering, even with the use of her  miko  powers to heal the poor over used muscles. Over  all,  Kagome wasn’t going to last much longer.

Trying to plan ahead, the young  miko  thought she was being smart by going through the river. With Yukio tracking her, she knew she had to get away and soon. What better way than going through water right? The water would help by messing with her scent and give her a chance to get away. It was the perfect plan, if only it worked out that way. 

Now Kagome was currently stuck running like mad to get to the palace before Yukio caught up to her. Her feet were getting blisters from her wet socks that kept moving in her shoes with each step she took. Her hair was clinging to her face, making it difficult to see and her clothes were heavy and stuck to her skin. This was not how it was supposed to go.

While Kagome was in Hell, Yukio was having a great time. He watched her from the trees to keep an eye on her but also see where she was ;  skill wise. He couldn’t help but smile while trying to stop himself from laughing.

_ ‘How is this woman still alive? My  _ _ Kamis _ _ , she has no skills in hiding, she’s out of shape, and she is so loud a human could track her!’ _

** Intended? **

_ ‘Not from what I’ve heard. All I know is she is unattached and doesn’t have anyone who is courting her.’  _ The older  inu  was pulled out of his conversation with his beast when he saw what happened next.

In front of Kagome lay an innocent fallen tree. She knew she didn’t have time to stop or go around so she decided to jump over it. Kagome lifted her left foot so it was in midair. She was about to push off with her right foot when her wet shoe slipped. Kagome fell face first into the dirt, barely missing the tree.

Yukio couldn’t stop the booming laugh that escaped when she fell. Trying to calm down, he landed next to the poor girl.

“Come here, Child.” 

He helped pull her to her feet and picked her up bridal style. He just couldn’t make her keep up training after that. Kagome looked miserable. She was covered in scrapes and you could tell she would have marks in the morning from some of her falls but the last one had blood coming out of the poor girl’s nose.

“Yukio? Um, do you, I mean I know you have to tell  Sesshomaru  about how the training went but could we leave that last part out?” She couldn’t even look at him when she asked. If the Western Lord heard about this, she’d have no hope to redeem herself.

Yukio chuckled as he looked down at the young woman in his arms. “I will leave that last part out in my report Little One. Just try to rest tonight so we can start again tomorrow.” Groaning, she knew there was no way out of this. Her plan sounded so much better before she was actually in the middle of doing her part.

When Kagome got back into the castle she asked to bathe before she  went  to the infirmary to start healing the troops. After looking at her, Raku couldn’t help but smile at the poor girl and lead the way. 

To say Kagome was impressed would be an understatement. It was more than she could ever dream of! The hot spring was huge! They seemed to  put up  door s  but left the rest of the cave alone. You could see carvings around the cave’s walls. Kagome guessed they were generations of Lords and Ladies of the West. The vines that were going up part of the wall near the water fall was gorgeous. 

Besides the added doors, it was a perfect picture of what nature has to offer. Seeing things like this helped her confidence on the choice she already made. Kagome was determined to use this gift, of going back 500 years in the past,  to  make changes to save more of the environment and not pollute it. 

Kagome sighed in relief. This place spoke to her soul. When she had more time, she’d come to inspect the walls and learn the history this place had to offer. She knew she didn’t long so she quickly took off her wet, muddy clothes and placed them by the doors as Raku instructed.

Sadly, she only had time to clean herself and spend a few minutes soaking to relax her tight muscles to better help others. That doesn’t' mean she couldn’t come back tonight, right? With that thought of a long soak after all the work was done for the day, Kagome walked to the edge of the spring and slowly started to step in now that she was clean. She was thrilled to see the rocks made little stairs for her. Kagome was up to her knees in the water when it started to hurt. Kagome looked down and saw one nasty cut that she’d have to heal.  _ ‘How did I miss this when I was cleaning myself?’  _ She moved her hand to her cut so she could heal it when something came out of the water.

With a scream and grace only Kagome possessed, she slipped and fell into the water. A strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her back up. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t think. Hell, she couldn’t even breath e ! She had her naked body pushed up to a man’s strong, defined chest!

_ ‘ _ _ Do I even want to know who this is?’  _ She thought. Taking a deep, calming breath she slowly dragged her eyes away from his perfect chest, past his neck till her eyes landed on his face.

Gasp!


	8. Chapter 8

Gasp!

_ ‘No! No, no, no, no! This can’t be happening!’ _  Kagome was ready for the Earth to swallow her whole. How do you ever move past this?

** She wants us! **  His beast roared from his mental cage, ready to answer the female’s call.

_ No. _  This wasn’t the time for his beast to start acting out. 

** She does! Feel how her nipples are hard against our chest, smell her! Her desire is filling the room.  ** ** Ev ** ** en with her in the water. **

Listening to his beast, he took a deep breath to see what was going on with the woman currently in his arm.

_ Cinnamon! _

The little miko did want him, at least in this situation. Looking down,  he  could see her wide eyes looking back at him. Her face was tinted pink around her nose and cheeks and getting darker every moment their eyes were locked.

Unlike other females who have tried to force themselves on him, he could see this was not what she had planned. This was truly an accident.  They could fix this, that was until she moved her leg and rubbed hi s  manhood, causing it to grow even more. Groaning he knew he had to make her stop moving before this situation got any worse.

“Stop moving.” It was a simple, direct command. Anyone would be able to follow it, even a young child, yet Kagome didn’t.

Said miko was freaking out. It would be easy to back away and end the awkwardness surrounding them, but she wasn’t thinking straight. She was thinking along the lines of this is the first fully naked body she’s ever touched, and she was fully showing herself to him!

She was panicking. She needed to get out of here and do it now. 

_ ‘ _ _ We’re naked and touching. Oh my Kamis! What do I do?!’  _

He said not to move but the best option seemed to get away from him and run back to the future to pretend like this never happened.  _ ‘How is he so damn calm?’ _

“Miko.” 

Kagome looked up to Sesshomaru, his eyes were tinted red on the outside and his jaw was clinched. 

_ ‘Am I hurting him? Is he  _ _ dis _ _ gu _ _ s _ _ t _ _ ed?’  _

“Se-Sesshomaru, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see anyone in here, I swear!”

“Indeed.” Smelling again, he could pick up her fear, embarrassment, and arousal was still present.

He knew she was telling the truth since he had his aura hidden. He figured she must have come in when he went to the bottom to get his amulet that had fallen off. He, Lord of the Western Lands, was torn. 

Part of him wanted to play with her, make her sorry for touching his person in such a way but the other part wanted to push her over the side and let all his beast’s dreams come true. However, he wasn’t stupid. He knew if he let that happen his beast would mark her, that would never happen. Ever.

Sensing the dilemma the more human side of Sesshomaru was in, his beast wanted to add one more little tid bit of information to see if it was enough to push him towards letting go.

** She has no hair. **

_ What are you speaking of? Her hair is under my arm. _

** Not there. **

Now  Sesshomaru  was confused.  _ ‘No hair? Her hair  _ _ goes _ _  down her mid back…’ _

** Maybe if you let me out of this cage, I could show you how it works pup. **

_ No. This Sesshomaru needs no help in rutting. This One will handle this, you will take it too far.  _ Sesshomaru’s beast was pissed. How dare he try to tame him! Without him Sesshomaru would be no more than any other human.

_ ‘Why isn’t he moving? Oh Kamis, just kill me.’ _  Kagome peeked up at the demon Lord she was being held by. His golden eyes had a far-off look that lead her to believe Sesshomaru was speaking to his beast.

That was one of the first differences between the two half-brothers  Kagome noticed . While Inuyasha had a beast, they didn’t blend well at all. It was always a struggle for him to keep his beast under control and if he ever became present, only Kagome was able to calm him down, or someone would need to knock him out.  Sesshomaru  was the opposite; his beast was always present and worked with  Sesshomaru’s  humanoid side. Kagome respected the bond the two shared, but she couldn’t just stand here while they talked. She needed to get away. 

For whatever reason he wasn’t leaving, she couldn’t wait. It was almost like he forgot about her being there; however, the  bulge  touching her leg showed Sesshomaru did notice her. Kagome didn’t know how to handle this, was he interested in her?

No, he’d never notice her that way. It was time to run. Kagome took a deep breath then tried to slide out of his hold. She sucked in a quick breath at the feeling of her hardened nipples rubbing against his  strong  chest. It didn’t help her hands were also on him, so she was able to feel how truly toned the demon Lord was.

Needless to say, her arousal spiked. She had never been touched in a sexual way before and this was definitely not how she envisioned her first time being naked with a man to go.

Ignoring these new feelings, Kagome used the slight gap she managed to get between them to push away from him. Once she was safely out of the water, she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body. She didn’t bother grabbing the new clothes left out for her, Kagome just made a mad dash to her room and away from Sesshomaru. 

Sesshom ar u was shocked. He felt her move but didn’t react. He wanted to see what she was doing but was also very shocked that she would dare move first. He, The Western Lord, gave her a command and she ignored it.  Sesshomaru  felt her nipples rub against him as her small hands moved across his chest. His blood was boiling from her touch. His beast was going crazy trying to get out and take what she was offering. Then, she was gone. 

He was pissed! The Western Lord may not have wanted to rut with the miko but who was she to not want him?! Any bitch would be lucky to be in her place.

_ How dare she leave This Sesshomaru without permission.  _ He ignored the sound of his beast laughing at him when he realized, much to his irritation, that his amulet was once again at the bottom of the spring. Diving down, he grabbed it and got himself ready. He needed to make sure all was ready for whatever his Mother had planned. 

* * *

 

Kagome was still pink from her earlier embarrassment in the  bath,  but she pushed it aside as she made her way towards the infirmary. She had a job to do and she wasn’t going to do anything to break the arrangement her and Sesshomaru set up.  Squaring her shoulders, she pulled the door open. As she looked into the room, she saw many troops sitting or lying down waiting fo r  her. All the troops who were concourse all looked over  to her when she walked into the infirmary with irritation in their eyes. Kagome wasn’t sure if it was from waiting on her to bathe or the fact their Lord pushed them to this limit because she was here to heal them. Either way, Kagome had a feeling she wasn’t going to make any friends here. 

Lucky for her, Akio was awake and able to walk. 

When Kagome walked into the room, Akio noticed all his men glar ing  at her. He knew it was hard on them to have not only a human help them, but a female and if that wasn’t enough, a miko.  He knew better, he knew she was someone special and wanted to protect her anyway he could.

“Miko Kagome, the ones who are in need of healing first are towards the back. The healer set them up so you could work your way out of the room. Plus, when he has sick inus the healthy ones don’t have to walk past them.” 

Noticing his kind jester, Kagome gave him the biggest smile she could give and a quick “thank you,” while she kept her head bowed. She wanted to give him respect and not offend the other males in the room more than she may have already.

When she reached the first demon, she went up to him with a smile on  her  face and kneeled down before him. “Hello, my name is Kagome and I’d like to heal you. It may feel a little strange at first but I promise you’ll feel good as new once I’m done.” 

He didn’t respond, he was unconscious but that didn’t matter to her. She wanted to make sure she did everything in her power to make sure he felt comfortable and if he could hear her, even sub consciously , then he’d know what is going on and him and his beast would be more likely to accept it. It was also a sign of respect. 

Akio and the other soldiers were impressed that Kagome took the time to talk her way through everything. It wasn’t just for the first person she healed either, she did it with everyone she healed. The enormous show of respect let the others relax a bit and when their turn came, they were a little more comfortable to have her help. 

Once she finished with the last soldier, a servant cam to tell them the evening meal was about to be served. Akio offered to show her the way when he noticed the unmated soldiers were saying about her. It would seem her show of power and respect was enough to interest them into looking at her as a possible mate, demanding on how strong she truly was. 

“Miko Kagome, allow me the honor of escorting you to the dining room.”

Kagome laughed at his overly formal speech but gr ate fully accept ed . “Why thank you, Akio. I’m sure if you don’t, I won’t find my way until dinner, tomorrow.” 

The two laughed at her honesty, knowing it was fully possible it could take her a day to find anything in this large castle. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh!!! I forgot to post this when I finished it. I'm so sorry!! To make up for it, I finished chapter 10 as well! Hope you enjoy!

** At the Well **

“She  ain’t  here. Smells like it’s been at least a day since she was.”  Inuyasha  was still smelling the air and the area around the well. 

Sango and  Miroku  didn’t know everything that Kagome planned, just that she was going home for a while and  Sesshomaru  would be taking  Shippo  to keep him safe from  Kikyo , while they both agreed, the little kit wouldn’t be safe here anymore, they still wished Kagome didn’t have to leave. When they made it to the well and heard  Inuyasha  complain ing  about her not being at the well ready to go, they decided to head towards the village. They didn’t need to be here to see the fight they knew was about to happen when Kagome was dragged back here. 

They stopped when they heard a string of curse words coming from the bottom of the well.

“What the fuck! Why aren’t you letting me through you stupid fucking well?!” The couple watched as their half-demon friend jumped out of the well just to jump back in again. When  Inuyasha  realized he was still in his own time he jumped out of the well one last time and grabbed the poor monk y his shirts and demanded answers.

“Why isn’t it working? Do you feel any power coming from it?” He gr o wled in the worried monk’s face.

Miroku  was about to answer  Inuyasha  but  Kikyo  did before him.

“I can feel her power here. She ha s  sealed the well off so you can no longer go to her. It would appear my copy can do one thing right, at least.” Saying what was on her mind, the dead  miko  walked away as fast as she came.

“How the Hell did she do that?! She can barely get her arrows to work, let alone hit their mark and now you’re  tellin ’ me she can keep me from going through the fuckin’ well?! This has that  bastered’s  name written all over it.” The half-demon kept ranting as he  pas s ed  around the old well.

Sango knew  Miroku  would be the only one who could try to talk some sense into their stubborn friend. She gave the monk a nudge before her and  Kirara  made their way towards the village. 

Miroku cau sally  walked towards the angry  hanyo . He kept a little distance between them as he got his thoughts in order.

“My friend, things are changing.”

“ Nothing's  changed!”

“You love Lady Kikyo. I know you are torn because Lady Kagome is also in your heart and you’ve been able to have a relationship with both but the truth is, you can’t have them both. When you brought Lady Kikyo into our group your actions told them you want them both.”

“That’s a fucking lie! I never said that.”  Inuyasha  wasn’t backed down, in his mind, he did nothing wrong.

“You might not see it since Lady  Kikyo  doesn’t seem to mind but she’s no longer living, and she knows she’ll always come first. Lady Kagome is different. She is alive,  Inuyasha . She lives every day and loves you with everything she has. You broke her heart every time you’d leave to see Lady  Kikyo  and she always took you back, but this? This was too much and now we all must learn to live with what happened.” 

Sighing,  Miroku  put his hand on  Inuyasha’s  shoulder while he was looking at the well and said, “ Inuyasha , no one blames you.  Naraku  messed up your life, just like the rest of us. Who knows, maybe it will be all be for the best.” 

Miroku  left to get meet Sango. He knew his friend was going to need space after all this. While it hurt him, losing Lady Kagome, watching his lovely Sango hide the pain she felt from losing her heart sister did make him feel some resentment for the  hanyo . This conversation helped  Miroku  see that  Inuyasha  was also hurting and what he said was probably true, this was all for the best. 

Inuyasha  was over whelmed. He grew up alone, his mother never had a chance to teach him about his human side. He was so torn, everything  Miroku  said was true; he did love both women. How could they share a s h ould but be complete  op p osites.  Everything Kagome and  Kikyo  said and all their actions were completely different. Maybe everyone was right.  Inuyasha  knew Kagome loved all of him, wild demon he couldn’t control and all. She supported him and was loyal to a fault.  Kikyo  loved his human side, having him use the jewel to become human also took away her responsibility to look after the jewel. Now he wasn’t sure if  Kikyo  loved him at all or just wanted what was owed to her.

Could that be fixed? Could  Kikyo  ever truly love him the way he was? Demon half and all?  Inuyasha  sighed, he knew the only way he’d ever get any answers was to talk to the  miko  in question. His worry was if he could handle the answers  Kikyo  gave him. Pulling away from the well, Inuyasha rushed towards the dead miko’s location to get some answer.

When  Inuyasha  finally caught up to her, he found her sitting in a tree, being feed souls.

“I suppose you wish to speak to me, Inuyasha.”

“Yeah, do you um, do you remember everything from before?” He kept his golden eyes on the tree, it always creeped him out that she had other’s souls to “live.”

_ ‘How can I pretend there’s hope if I can’t even look at her?’ _ Inuyasha  looked up, ignoring the chill that ran through him as  Kikyo  responded to his question. 

“Yes. I may not have the same feelings or emotions but I do remember my life before I was killed.”

_ ‘Do I really want to do this? What if I hear something I don’t want to know?’ _ Inuyasha  took a deep, calming breath and jumped up to sit next to her in the tree. It was time to look past the final battle and decide what he wants in his life.

“ Kikyo , I need to know, could  you have  ever loved me the way I am?”

Her answer was almost instant, “no.”

If he thought he knew what pain was before, he was wrong. He thought he was going to die from how much that one word hurt. It felt like his chest was being ripped apart from the inside out. 

“I know now that things are different, but demons are evil and you are half demon. I am evil now, but have no demon in me. It is an odd feeling...”

With that she left with her soul collectors.  _ ‘What does that mean? This are different back then? Does that mean we have a chance now?’ _

Leaping up to the very top of the tree he yelled, “KIKYO!” She didn’t come back, not that he expected her to. Inuyasha went to his favorite spot to go think. He wanted to be ready to talk to Kikyo again when she came back and figure out how he truly felt.

** The Western Dinning Hall **

Rin was concerned. While meals in the Western Palace were normally a quiet affair, this was different.  Shippo  was almost glued to  Kagome’s  side after they walked in. When they met up with Kagome in the hallway,  Shippo’s  mood dropped instantly. “Rin, somethings wrong with Kagome.” He whispered before grabbing his mom’s hand.

Now, everyone was eating with the tension surrounding them. Kagome was quietly asking  Shippo  about what else she missed and what his plans were after she went back to her home. 

Her Lord looked the same to anyone who didn’t know his little tells. Rin noticed his slightly narrowed eyes, which was  Sesshomaru’s  sign he was angry. Then, Rin noticed he kept glancing at Kagome from the corner of his eyes. What did she miss? Could that be why Kagome was upset?

_ ‘If Kagome and Lord  _ _ Sesshomaru _ _  are fighting does that mean their deal is off? It can’t be! Rin has at least one full year with Kagome and  _ _ Shippo _ _! They can’t go, not when I’m finally happy.’ _  She had to get out of the dining hall. She knew her Lord hated when she cried but she also knew it would hurt Kagome and  Shippo  as well.

“Goo- Goodnight  Sesshomaru-sama , Kagome, and Sh- Shippo.” Rin dashed out of the room with tears trailing down her face.

Kagome looked over to  Sesshomaru  to see if he knew what just happened but he gave her a slightly confused look in return. If Kagome had to guess, it was due to the tension between her and the Western Lord. Without another thought, Kagome rushed out after her with  Shippo  hot on her heels.

Sesshomaru  was  stun ned . He was arguing with his beast through the evening meal so he had no idea what could have upset his ward. She never leaves a room without permission, but by the smell of tears she was already crying as she was trying to flee the room. 

“ Jaken . What happened to Rin?”

Jaken  was shaking, for once he had no idea what was going on. Normally the only issue Rin ever had was when he wouldn’t play with her even after the Western Lord told him to. This time he was just standing outside waiting to chase after the two brats once they were done with diner. 

“I... I have no idea Lord  Sesshomaru , she was fine all day. Happy even!”  Jaken  was waiting to get punished like he normally did but it never came. Looking up, he saw his Lord walking after everyone.  _ ‘What is going on?’  _ The old toad wondered as he was left alone in the dining hall.

** Rin’s Rooms **

Rin flung herself on her futon, she didn’t understand what was going on in her own home. The idea of things going back to how they use to be spending all day alone with  Jaken  or her nanny always seemed okay since it was all she knew. When they weren’t traveling, Rin only saw  Sesshomaru  in the morning for breakfast and possibly at night if she was extrem e ly lucky. It was too much for her little heart to handle, she was happy having a family. Their family might be strange but they all loved her and she loved all of them.  Shippo  was an older brother she never had, even if he was shorter than her. Kagome was a mother figure, she took care of her, cared about her, and Rin always hoped she’d be able to call her Mom one day. Kagome was a dream come true!

With the safety her room had to offer, Rin let her sobs loose as she mo u rned the loose she already felt. With her little face in her pillow, Rin didn’t notice when Kagome and  Shippo  entered the room, nor when they walked closer.

Hearing Rin’s crying from outside the door, Kagome entered without knocking. When she saw Rin thrown across her bed, Kagome’s heart broke. “Rin? Honey, what is it? What happened?” 

Kagome slowly sat on the futon with the crying child, giving Rin the chance to tell Kagome to leave her alone if she needed space. When Rin made no move to push Kagome away, she wrapped her arms around Rin to cuddle with her in an effort to make Rin feel safe. 

Shippo  went in front of Rin and held her too. He buried his little nose in her hair and waited for her to talk. It took a few minutes for Rin to calm down enough to talk but once she did ,  she wasn’t sure what she should say to them. She didn’t want to push Kagome away but she also didn’t know if she could everything, she was feeling in.

“Rin, whatever it is you can tell me, Sweetie.”

Rin turned her had to look at Kagome, her eyes held nothing but concern and love. Taking a calming breath, she started to explain what she was feeling.

“Kagome, it’s just that, well I’ve always been happy with  Sesshomaru-sama . Then, our packs joined each other and you took care of Rin.  Shippo  plays with Rin and doesn’t make Rin feel stupid. Even after you went home, I got to play with  Shippo  every day. Like a brother and... and you, you seem like Rin’s Mommy. I don’t remember mine but you, you take care of Rin. You do more than that! You make Rin happy, Kagome. Rin knows I’m safe with you and I know you care about me. Then, at dinner you and  Sesshomaru  seemed upset at each other. Rin doesn’t want to lose you Kagome! If you and lord  Sesshomaru  fight then you and  Shippo  will leave and Rin will be alone with  Jaken  during the day and only see Lord  Sesshomaru  once a day.”

Kagome pulled Rin into a strong bear hug. She could tell Rin was truly upset when she kept switching form  third  person to first throughout her explanation. She was trying so hard to be big and strong for her Lord. 

“Oh Sweetie,  Sesshomaru  and I could hate each other and I would still find a way to see you, not matter what he or anyone else said. To be completely honest, I don’t see us ever hating each other, I don’t know if he ever really did. When we first met, him and Inuyasha were at each other’s throats and I think he disliked me because I was loyal to Inuyasha. But that’s another story. What I’m trying to say is, while  Sesshomaru  and I may not see  eye  to eye, we both care deeply for you. We’d never do anything to hurt you.” 

“Rin, why don’t we have Mama read us a story? Nothing makes me feel better than cuddling with her while she read to me.”  Shippo  added, wanting to do anything he could to soothe his new heart  sister.

Rin nodded at the idea of being held while hearing one of Kagome’s stories. She quickly sat up so Kagome could grab her story book, then crawled back on to the futon. She had  Shippo  on one side of her and Rin on the other. Once Rin picked out which story she wanted, Kagome started to read and Shippo pulled up the covers to keep them warm and cozy.

It was a long day for all of them, Kag o me didn’t get too far before both kids passed out on her. She looked down at their sleeping faces and couldn’t stop the smile that came to her face. She gave them both a kiss on the top of their heads. She thought about getting up and going to her room but she was comfy and had to go home at first light. Kagome wanted to spend as much time as she could with her babies. The young miko pulled them close and let her dreams take her away.

…

The Western Lord stood outside the partially open doors listening and watching what was going on with his ward. When Rin told the  miko  her fears,  Sesshomaru  could  understand  why she was upset. He was still angry at the woman soothing his ward for leaving him excited in the springs but now he was pissed. Who was she to speak to his Rin in such a way?

‘How dare she  say  she’d find a way to see Rin if This  Sesshomaru  told her to stay away.’

He contemplated walking in there and punishing her for showing him such disrespect in front of his ward of all people when he heard the rest. How foolish was this woman? Of course he hated her when they first met. She was a human dressed like a whore who was loyal to the half-breed. She gave the one thing he wanted to  Inuyasha . Hell, she also cheered for the fool after she gave  Inuyasha  his father’s fang.

‘Stupid woman.’  Sesshomaru  was so deep in thought over his past with the annoying woman he never noticed she started to read to the kids. Once he knew how he wanted to preced e , he carefully slid the door open and found Kagome asleep with both kids cuddling up close in the safely of her arms.  Sesshomaru  knew he couldn’t wake them. The Western Lord walked closer and placed his large, clawed hand on Rin’s head before he left the room. 

He needed a drink, possibly to kill something. Him and his beast were both angry as they made their way to  Sesshomaru’s  study. How could she ignore him through the whole meal after leaving him in the springs? Women beg to be where she was. Some even kill to be near him and Kagome acts like she can’t be in the same room as him. Who does she think she is? The nerve of her. 

Entering his study,  Sesshomaru  didn’t make it to his seat before he felt Yukio at the door, knocking before he entered. 

“My Lord, I need to speak to you.”

Nodding,  Sesshomaru  walked towards his book case to grab some sake. Pouring two cups, the male demons sat down for a drink before they started to talk. The Western Lord had to remind himself Yukio wasn’t the reason behind his anger,  Sesshoamru  knew tonight was going to be long so he kept his sake bottle close by. 

“Lord  Sesshomaru , there is something that is troubling me, why would Lady Mother be coming to the West after all this time?”

“This Sesshomaru does not know.”

_ ‘Talking to him now is as easy as talking to him as a pup.’  _ Yukio thought, sighing he continued on hoping the Western pup would listen, for once.

“What should we do to ready the castle for her? Do you want to give her the rooms she  use  to have? New ones? What about Lady Rin? Does she know of her?”

“Hn.”

“ Sesshomaru , you cannot answer everything with a ‘ hn ’ and call it good. Stop acting like a pup throwing a fit and answer me. There must be a good reason for your mother to come home after what happened with your father and we better make sure she is as comfortable as possible. You may not l know what love is but she sure does and she had it thrown back in her face.”

Sesshomaru  was shocked. It had been a long time since he’s upset one of the twins to the point that they had the nerve to chew him out. “Love is nothing but a weakness. Look at Mother and Father, look at the half-breed. When you love you are weak.” 

Yukio had no idea what to say to that. “Pup, you love Lady Rin. She is like your own pup and we all know it. You may not show it the way the rest of us do but it is clear you care for her. Don’t try to argue or get upset. Just sit in here and talk to your beast, go kill something, Hell I don’t care. Just stop acting like you didn’t get your way and now you are pouting. You are a Lord, now act it.” With that, he left the study before he said anything he’d regret.

_ ‘Damn pup will make me age as fast as a human at this rate. _ ’ Yukio thought as he made his way towards his rooms.

** Some Alpha.  ** Sesshomaru’s  beast wanted to get his point across.

_ Why are you here? Leave. _ Sesshomaru  groaned internally as he replied. 

** You are not in harmony with me. We will become weak if it is not fixed. **

_ This  _ _ Sesshomaru _ _  would never be weak. _

** You know nothing. Let us hunt, then meditate. We need to center. **

_ Hn.  _ For once, he agreed with his beast. It might also keep him from killing Yukio. If he did kill the older  inu  he’d have to find someone else who he trusted and that wasn’t going to happen so this was his only option.

_ ‘Somehow I know this all goes back to the Miko and her deal.’ _

** Hn.  ** His beast had to agree with that thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Kagome was woken up by a small yet powerful elbow to the stomach. _‘Rin seems to be having a very active dream’_ she thought with a small smile. Slowly, so she didn’t wake the children, Kagome got out of bed. Once she was able to sneak out of Rin’s rooms, she made her way over towards her room and hot spring to start her morning routine.

Ready for the day ahead, the young woman decided to head outside. She loved the fresh air in this time. Whenever she couldn’t sleep in this era, Kagome would watch the stars. It always took her breath away; without the buildings and lights you could see stars for miles at a time.

With a smile on her face, Kagome slowly started making her way out of the maze Sesshomaru called a home, she finally found the garden. Looking up at the sky she noticed the moon shining against the dark sky. _‘The moon matches Sesshomaru’s marking.’_ Shaking her head to rid herself of that silly thought, she slowly walked farther into the garden. She spotted a small white bench that faced a little pound, it would make the perfect spot for her to enjoy the early morning sky. Kagome couldn’t believe how alluring this place was. For someone as cold and calculated as Sesshomaru, his home sure didn’t show it. _‘Maybe it was made for Rin? Or maybe it was here before he became Lord?’_

“Miko Kagome? What are you doing out at this time?”

Kagome gasped as she turned towards the voice that startled her. Akio was a few feet away looking at her with amusement in his eyes. _‘I wonder if all demons are this good looking? Do I have a thing for canines? First Inuyahsa, Koga, then Sesshomaru and now Akio. Not to mention seeing all the Western Army shirtless. Now that was a sight!’_

Akio cleared his throat as he waited for her to respond to his question when he smelled a slight change in her smell.

“Haha sorry, I was just thinking about demons. I think I might be a dog person... Yet I have a cat at home...” Kagome trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts.

 _‘A dog person? I do not understand this woman.’_ Akio thought to himself.

Kagome moved over a bit so there was more room on the bench, leaving the opening for him to sit if he wished. It was also easy for him to walk away without causing a big scene.

Akio saw the move and didn’t see any harm in accepting her offer. With grace that so wasn’t fair, he sat himself next to the young woman and watched the pond with her.

After a few moments, Akio decided to ask what was on his mind. “Kagome, if I may, why do you seem so different? I mean no offense, but the way you talk and dress, all of it is very odd.” He hoped she didn't get upset with him for asking such a question, he waited for her response. Hopefully she didn’t purify him for being so bold.

“Well, I can’t tell you everything now, but I can say that you’re correct; I am different. For one, I’m not from around here but I am trying to learn the ways of the land.” She gave him some time to think over the information she gave him by looking at the pond again so he could process it.

A few minutes later Akio was ready to voice his next question. He couldn’t believe she was so open to talk with him. “Why are you here? Do you not hate us for who we are?”

“I’m here because I don’t see any difference between us. Some demons are kind, some are evil. The same can be said for humans and hanyos. If you look at the soul inside someone you don’t see a difference.” Kagome explained.

Mikos were raised to hate demons and kill them on sight. Akio believed her when she said she didn’t see any difference between the two of them, but he also knew there was more to the story. If Kagome wasn’t saying anything more on the subject, then there was a reason for it. She was a very open and honest person so he could wait till she was ready to tell him.

“Is the reason so many demons hate me here because I’m a miko?” Kagome asked somberly.

The Western inu demon sighed, he didn’t want to answer this question but wanted to respect her as she did him. “Being a miko is a large part of it. Just as mikos are trained to hate and kill demons, we are taught the same about mikos. Kill first, ask questions later. However, there is more… You are an unknown person and he is Lord Sesshomaru. Besides Rin, no one knows him. No one would dare call him by his name; yet you do. Little Rin loves you; you have a demon as a son and are staying in the family wing. It makes people wonder what you really are to him…”

 _‘It makes me wonder as well.’_ Not wanting to go forward with what he was saying, Akio let his thought end there. All inus know she is pure but other kind of demons may not. There were many nasty rumors going around the castle, probably around the land by now.

While she was young, Kagome understood not only what Akio said but also what he didn’t. She took it to heart, _‘Maybe it’s time to change. I’m not in my time or home; I’m in his. With how much my name’s being drug through the mud, I can’t imagine what Sesshomaru must be dealing with. He’s a Lord. I can’t risk his reputation especially not when he’s doing so much for me. Ugh! What have I done?’_

“What can I do?” Kagome was genuinely carious. Before he had a chance to respond, she continued to hopefully convince him to help her. “I don’t want people to hate me. I also don’t want to hurt his reputation or Rin. I’m honestly just an ally to Sesshomaru, nothing more. I mean I’d love to be friends with him, but I don’t see that ever happening. I heard some of the... “nicer” rumors. I don’t care about nor do I want his riches or the title of The Western Lady. I- I'm just trying to finish everything that I need to in order to save the freaking world from Naraku.” Looking over towards Akio, she pleaded with her eyes hoping Akio would have some answer for her. She couldn’t handle any more problems. How many issues could their agreement handle before he pulled out and she was on her own again.

“you must treat him like the Lord he is. It will help if you act like the rest of us.” Akio gently placed his clawed hand on top of hers and gave it a squeeze before pulling away before more rumors could spread. “Keep your head up, don’t let the others get you down, Kagome. Now, I must insist you return to your rooms. Lord Sesshomaru won’t be pleased if you are still asleep when he is ready to leave.”

Knowing he was right she nodded and followed Akio back to the children. Instead of going back to the rooms assigned to her, she snuck into Rin’s rooms and climbed back into bed with them to catch some sleep before leaving again. Kagome was going to miss them, but this was the right thing to do. She needed to take care of herself for once.

A couple hours later, Kagome woke up so her and the kids could have a light breakfast before she played a quick game of tag before Sesshomaru came to take her home. The young, blue eyed woman decided she’d start marking changes today in order to save whatever relationship she had with the Western Lord. She wore leggings and a longer, baggy shirt. It wasn’t “proper” but hopefully better than her school uniform.

Getting closer to his target, Sesshomaru let his aura loose so he wouldn't have to speak for them to stop their game. The instant Kagome felt Sesshomaru coming towards them, she stopped their game of tag and told the children to come over.

Surprising everyone, Kagome gave the Western Lord a formal bow for someone in her standing to meet a Lord in person. When she finished counting to five in her head, Kagome got up and said a tearful goodbye to Rin and Shippo.

Making her way towards Sesshomaru, Kagome made sure to keep her eyes down instead of her typical eye contact. Once she reached his side, she didn’t move until he led the way. Following behind him with her head bowed, Kagome could only hope this would help the drama she had accidentally caused him.

Completely stunned but also busy, Sesshomaru took them outside the palace gates before pulling her close to take flight. He knew it was awkward, he had to hold her close enough so she wouldn’t fall off the cloud but not too close she was injured by his armor.

They were about halfway to the well and still not one word had been spoken between the two. Sesshomaru was stunned. The annoying woman in his arm was being respectable and submissive. She bothered him any time they were together with her annoying chatter but this time there was nothing. She wasn’t doing anything. Just standing by him with her head bowed.

_‘Why is she acting this way?’_

**She smells of another male.**

_‘Another male?’_ Trying to be discrete, Sesshomaru lowered his head so he could take in her scent better. He took a long inhale through his nose, shifting through all the smells that cling to the miko. Shippo and Rin’s scent clung to her, his scent was also strong but under all that was another scent. _‘Akio. Why would she smell of him?’_

**Ask.**

Maybe meditating with his beast was a good idea. For once they were not fighting and his beast was helping him. However, he wasn’t sure why he was asking. He clearly did not care for the human woman. His brother’s woman no less. If he didn’t ask it would be on his mind and if his beast wanted him to ask, then there had to be a reason. It was worth it to keep the peace between the two halves of himself.

“Miko, why do you smell of Akio?”

Kagome wasn’t expecting to hear from Sesshomaru at all, so she was shocked to hear him speak. _‘I smell like Akio? Well he did talk to me, but will Akio get in trouble for talking to me, at night? Might as well be honest. We did nothing wrong.’_

“I woke up in the middle of the night and took a walk in the garden. While I was sitting near your pond, he came up to me to find out why I was out so late.” I guess it was our proximity.”

 _‘There is your answer. She did not lie either.’_ He was impressed by her honesty. Most would do anything to please him but not her, Kagome was always honest. It should have been simple enough but for some unknown reason, Sesshomaru was irritated to learn why Kagome and Akio were out alone together, at night.

“Him simply asking you a question would not cause his scent to be on you. Do not play games with me Miko. Answer my question.”

_‘What is she hiding? She is a guest in This Sesshomaru’s lands and yet she dares keep things from me that have to do with my staff?’_

Knowing that she had upset him she figured she might as well tell him everything. “I’m sorry Lord Sesshomaru.” She tilted her head to the side to show submission and then continued on with her answer, “I was outside, and he did ask but I moved over on the bench so he could sit by me. We ended up talking a little before he told me I needed to go back to bed so I didn’t hold you up in the morning.”

**Lord Sesshomaru?**

_Hn. What has caused this change? Why is she not being Kagome?_

**Kagome?**

_The Miko._

The Western Lord gave up trying to get anywhere else with the girl. Clearly, she didn’t want to talk, and he wasn’t about to stoop down to her level by starting meaningless conversation.

**It bothers you.**

_You know not what you speak of._

**You forget, I am you. We are one, and right now WE are mad she does not want our company.**

_She has finally learned her place. Do not interfere._

Hoping that would be the end of it, he went back to focusing on getting to the well. If she tried to speak with him again, he’d respond but he was not going to push for conversation.

Kagome knew they were getting closer to the well. She was starting to get tense. How could they continue with their deal if they couldn’t even be around each other? For one, they haven’t talked about the whole bath issue. She wasn’t sure if she was grateful for that or not. Did he want to talk to her about it? Why else would Sesshomaru start a conversation with her?

 _‘What do I do? If it was Inuyasha, we’d just act like nothing happened; never talk about it and try to ignore it.  But look at where that got us. Not even on speaking terms.’_ Mentally preparing herself, Kagome slowly looked up to his face.

As soon as Kagome started looking at him, Sesshomaru looked down to her. There was something different this time; instead of him looking at her with blank, cold eyes, they were swimming with emotions.

 _‘Was he talking to his beast?’_ Whatever the reason, Kagome decided Sesshomaru had gorgeous eyes when they were closed off but Godly when they showed emotions.

She forgot everything and just spoke what was on her mind. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Lord Sesshomaru. I honestly can’t thank you enough.” She wanted to bring up the bath incident, but she chickened out.

Sesshomaru nodded his head and left the conversation there. She knew that was his way of ending the discussion, so she didn’t say anything else. How could she go about this? _‘Do I just say “oh hey, as much as I loved the feeling of your sexy body against mine it can’t happen again. Well, unless you want it to.” No! Bad Kagome.’_ She clearly needed more time to collect her thoughts and build up her courage. Possibly lower her hormones as well.

About an hour later they reached the clearing that held the Bone Eaters Well. Kagome assumed Sesshomaru would drop her off and head back, but he also walked towards the well with her.

 _‘Is he going to the future? Why in the world would he be coming with me? He wouldn’t lock me in the future, would he?!’_ Kagome paused, reaching the well, she turned to see what the Western Lord would do next but was startled to see him standing so close to her.

She took a step back but froze when he matched her step with one of his own. Kagome kept moving backwards until the back of her legs hit the old well.

He was about a foot away, staring down at her with burning eyes. Kagome thought maybe he wanted an apology for earlier, so she quickly spoke up, hoping to defuse whatever was going on between them.

“Lord Sesshomaru, I wanted to let you know that I’m so sorry about what happened in the hot springs and it will never happen again. I’ll make sure I double check they are empty next time! I would never have... um... touched you-” Sesshomaru pushed against her so she had two choices; either have her body pressed up against him or fall into the well.

He leaned over her, bracing himself with one arm on the lip of the well then whispered in her ear, “Are you sure of that, Miko?”

Completely freaking out from his proximity, Kagome had no idea what he was talking about. “Um, I’m not sure what you mean...” Her nerves made it impossible to finish a full thought. She braced herself by holding onto the well behind her, hoping her knees wouldn’t give out as he ran his nose from her ear, down to her neck. Causing a shiver to run through her body she tried to focus on what he was doing and how to get out of this situation.

Sesshomaru inhaled her spicy scent and all but purred, “are you sure we won’t be together in a bath?”

Kagome wasn’t the only one trying to focus while this was happening. Sesshomaru was fighting hard to get his beast to back down, somehow in the little time they had between landing and now his beast managed to gain control. While he was more merged with him, his beast was controlling their body at the moment. Sesshomaru hated that he was also enjoying this, the spike in her arousal pleased him when he moved his nose closer.

“Your body is telling This Sesshomaru that you enjoy my touch. Why do you try to deny it?”

He was right, her body did enjoy what he was doing to her, but she wouldn’t just give herself away to the first male that showed her some interest. She carefully let go of the well to place her hands on his well sculpted chest in the hopes of pushing him away. This seemed to make him push harder to get a response from her.

Ignoring her attempt at space, he moved until their lips were a breath away before speaking again. “Are you certain you want to push This One away? Does what you saw in the spring displease you?”

He smirked when he saw his plan to shock her worked.

“No! I mean I didn’t see much but I did like what I saw, I mean who wouldn’t? It’s all I can think about!”  Her face turned crimson as she realized she had told him all that. How could she be so stupid? She tried to turn her face, but his clawed hand stopped her.

He was now touching her lips as he spoke, looking deep into her eyes. “Then why do you push This Sesshomaru away?” He didn’t realize how much he needed to hear this answer until after he asked.

Kagome was about to respond, or try to when she noticed his eyes had started tinting red. Could it be his beast she was talking to? Did Sesshomaru even know what was going on? She tried to push him away once again to gain some space but got nowhere.

“Sess... Er, Lord Sesshomaru, am I still talking to you?”

Ignoring her question, he asked his own, “why do you now call This Sesshomaru by his title? Even when This One told you to do so or tried to kill you, you have never done so. Why now?”

Completely distracted by the feeling of his lips moving on hers, Kagome did all she could to try and not get lost in this new feeling.

When she didn’t answer him, Sesshomaru pushed a little on her lips and gave her a soft but sweet kiss to see what she would do next. He smirked when he smelt her shock and arousal. Pulling away slightly to look at her he was surprised when she pushed him away instead of kissing him again.

“Lord Sesshomaru, I will not be a one-night stand.” She was trying not to cry. Why could no one in this time care for her?

Confused and finally back to his normal self, Sesshomaru lifted one of his regal eyebrows in question. “Miko, you do not make sense.”

_‘Ugh. I need to remember the time difference.’_

“What I meant is, I will not be... I think you’d call it a quick rut and then that would be it. I’m sure you have enough females on that list and I’m not about to add my name to it.”

Now he was pissed. _She dares push This Sesshomaru away!_

**Why did you want her to kiss back?**

_Do not start._

**You are interested. Try talking.**

Sesshomaru grabbed her using his demon speed and had her pressed against a tree before she knew what happened. He had his nose in the crook of her neck again. He loved her smell, it brought him a calming feeling yet also excited him. How was that possible?

Moving so his mouth was on the shell of her ear he spoke, his voice husky from excitement. “There is no list, Miko. This One said nothing of a quick rut. You do not know This Sesshomaru, do not act as if you do.”

Suddenly he pulled back and she watched his eyes go back to their cold self. He saw her about to speak so he answered her unspoken question. “The half-breed comes.”

Not even a minute later Inuyasha rushed into the clearing, Tessaiga ready to kill Sesshomaru.

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER, SESSHOMARU!”

In true Inuyasha fashion, he didn’t even look towards Kagome before rushing into battle with his older half-brother, who was standing in front of the human woman. Sesshomaru would normally sidestep the attack but he couldn't this time or the miko would be injured, if not killed. He bent his knees, ready to attack when a screech, sounding vaguely like the word sit rang through the clearing. Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were confused and irritated she got involved.

“What the fuck was that for, Wench?! I come to save you and you stop me from kickin’ his ass?!” He yelled as he climbed out of his crater.

Kagome was trying to keep her temper under control. She walked between the brothers, hoping neither of them would attack with her in the line of fire.

“Miko, you stand up for the one who replaced you? Do you truly think you could stop This Sesshomaru?”

He went from pissed to enraged. This little miko was going to pick that pup over him?! As he waited for her to respond, he realized something; he needed to know what her answer was.

_She still chooses him. This One opened my home to her, took in the kit for her._

**She didn’t.**

Sesshomaru noticed Kagome turned to face him. She looked hurt; did she truly expect to be treated differently after what she just did?

“I didn’t stop the fight to protect Inuyasha. I stopped the fight because there is no reason for the two of you to fight. You didn’t kidnap me; in fact, you’re helping me so for him to attack you isn’t right and I wouldn't be me if I didn’t stand up and put an end to it.”

Before he had a chance to think over what she had said, Inuyasha popped in with his own thoughts.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about? Where have you been? Why can’t I go through the well?”

Kagome kept looking at Sesshomaru while Inuyasha talked, she wanted his approval from some odd reason. Sesshomaru gave a slight nod before she turned to face her oldest friend.

“Inuyasha, I’ll talk to you and the rest of the group tonight, but first I need to finish talking to Lord Sesshomaru. Alone.”

The Western Lord smirked when his younger brother’s ears fell flat. Clearly the answer he received from the young woman along with the use of his title upset the pup. Sesshomaru walked off to the God tree knowing full well the miko would follow. Kagome gave a small smile to Inuyasha before she started to walk past him to follow Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha grabbed her elbow, his ears still lowered. It just didn’t add up to him. Why would she want to talk with Sesshomaru without him?

“Kagome, what’s wrong? Did he make you do anything? Why are you going with him?” He sounded so hurt and rejected.

Kagome sighed; she didn’t want to hurt him but being harsh might be the only way to get him to understand. She needed to stop running away from things like she has been. That’s why they were all in this situation. It was time to break the cycle once and for all.

“Inuyasha, he’s been amazing. He’s helping me and doing everything we agreed to. Stop blaming him for everything, please.” Kagome tried to explain when she saw him get ready to argue with her. “I... I trust him and you have Kikyo so there is no reason to worry. You have someone to protect Inuyasha, and it isn’t me. I don’t think it ever was me.”

She couldn’t help the tears that started to fall. It still hurt to think of the three years she wasted being in love with him and how many times he put her down, how many times he left her to see Kikyo and now she had been replaced by the dead miko completely.

“Kago-”

“No Inuyasha, I’ll talk to you tonight, with everyone else.” She pulled her arm away so she could meet with Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha had a feeling she was walking away from a lot more than just this conversation and that scared him. If he truly loved Kikyo, then why did this hurt so much? He left the clearing to go find a fight. He would keep busy before they talked again. If not, he’d do something he’d regret and possibly lose Kagome for good.

At the God Tree, Sesshomaru heard everything they said. His beast was thrilled and if he was honest with himself, he was also happy that she chose him over his half-brother. As soon as she made it to the tree Kagome saw Sesshomaru standing by the tree waiting for her. She slowly sat before him, hoping to show him respect.

This show of submission also pleased the Western Lord, not that he left it show.

“Um, Lord Sesshomaru, I um, I was wondering, are we... do you want to back out? I mean I would understand if you did. This wasn’t what you signed up for.  I could always...”

“Miko.”

Kagome stopped her rambling to look up at him, she could tell from his tone (if he even had different tones) that he wasn’t happy. That was the last thing she wanted, him upset with her.

“Our arrangement had nothing to do with his behavior. You dare question This One’s honor?” Once again, his eyes were full of emotion but sadly, they were full of anger.

Kagome didn’t even think twice before jumping up to her feet and grabbing his clawed hand in hers. How did she manage to upset him yet again? While she tried to think about what she was going to say, Sesshomaru was also thinking over her actions.

**Bold move.**

_Indeed._

“My Lord, I wouldn’t question your honor, I didn’t mean that.” She softly replied as she lowered her head, unable to keep eye contact any longer. “All I meant was I’m not worth all this trouble.”

A strange feeling washed over the Lord. Unsure if it was him or his beast who moved, they agreed on the action he took. Sesshomaru pulled her into a hug, being careful of his armor. He buried his nose into her hair as he spoke, “do not speak such things, Miko.”

Oddly enough, this was the safest Kagome had ever felt in this era. Without a moment of hesitation Kagome hugged him back with all the unknown emotions building inside her.

After a few minutes Kagome asked the question on her mind. “Sesshomaru, what are we doing?”

Said male let a small smile grace his face when she dropped his title. It made them feel more intimate. He knew she probably wouldn’t like his answer, but he was always honest and said only what he meant. “This Sesshomaru does not know.”

Kagome was disappointed, she had hoped this would be a romantic moment between them. She pulled back from him, grateful that he let her. She stood as tall as she could, ready to be strong and protect her heart. “Lord Sesshomaru, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. I can’t fall for someone to be pushed aside, again. I can’t get the children excited that their two favorite people will be together, and they will be a family for nothing, and I won’t settle for less than love. I’d rather be alone forever then not be loved in return.”

Kagome was shocked when Sesshomaru took a step back, cold eyes looking back at her.

“The deal stands. You will train so you can take the jewel away from Naraku and purify it. The kit will stay with This One until you are ready to fight.”

Gasp! He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he did, could he?

“Will I see you in my time?”

“No.”

With that final word, Lord Sesshomaru was gone. Possibly for good.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Rewritten

It took Kagome over an hour to make it back to Kaede’s hut. It took a while for her to stop crying and after she wanted to wash her face before she met up with everyone. While she scrubbed her face, Kagome realized just how tired she was. Tired of being hurt, tired of being weak. It was time for a change. Her friends had much bigger problems then her love life, or lack thereof.

Once she made it to the hut, Kagome rushed into an equally excited Sango’s arms for a hug that was truly long overdue. She had missed her friends so much!

Next to want a hug was Miroku, Kagome stepped into his open arms, but was ready for his wandering hands to kick in to cop a feel. To everyone’s surprise, they didn’t. He gave her an honest friendly hug.

Kaede watched the young adults reunite with a small smile on her face. Even in these dangerous times it was important to enjoy the small moments. The old miko always wondered if things would’ve been different for her sister if she took time to see the good in things. Pushing that thought aside, Kaede called out to her adopted granddaughter for everyone to come in. Plus, Kaede was also extremely curious to learn what Kagome was up to. “Well come in, Child. There is much to discuss.”

Once inside, everyone took a seat in the cozy hut they all thought of as a second home. The group of four shared stories from their time apart, most of them were funny, some stressful but overall it was great to catch up. As they spoke, Kagome couldn’t help but notice how close Sango and Miroku were sitting or the looks they shared when they thought no one was looking. It was crystal clear the couple had grown closer which helped ease the guilt Kagome felt from leaving them behind without the full story. Kagome was about to ask the love birds what was going on to get a rise out of Sango when Inuyasha pushed aside the matt covering the door and plopped himself down in the corner.

Seeing Inuyasha hurt her, but for a different reason than others would think. In all the madness, Kagome was still young. She lost her first love, her best friend, and partner. Looking at him reminded her of who she was and how it all started. She trusted him with her life, but now? She wasn’t sure. How could things change so much? Taking a deep breath, Kagome smiled over to him. Hoping to push aside the emotions she was feeling. The promise she made to herself was to stop crying, she wasn’t about to break that promise already.

 _‘Remember, in my time I’d be too young to deal with all of this but here I’m an adult who should already be married and raising kids.’_ Whatever feelings she may have for anyone does not come above the jewel or her duties.

“So why can’t I get through the well.” Inuyasha demanded.

 _‘Well there went small talk.’_ Kagome thought bitterly.

“I think you know why, Kikyo should have been able to tell you.” She answered in the hope he’d drop the issue and they could avoid yet another fight.

Inuyasha leaned forward, ready to say something she was sure would be rude, when Kikyo walked in causing everyone to tense.

Kaede couldn’t help but make space for her sister while keeping some distance between them. Kikyo may have been Kaede’s older sister growing up, but the old miko didn’t agree with the way her sister walked the Earth again. She was half a soul, lost and determined to get revenge.

Inuyasha argued with Kaede a while ago that Kikyo and Rin were the same, both brought back from the dead and Kaede welcomed Rin with open arms. Why did her older sister not get the same treatment? She tried to explain Rin was completely different, Rin may have died but the way Sesshomaru brought Rin back whole. She was the same loving little girl who was given another chance at life. If she fell, Rin would bleed, Rin could still die. Her sister couldn’t say the same. If only Inuyasha was realize that.

Kikyo pulled her younger sister from her thoughts. “I told him what you did. Only someone with your reiki can pass. Now, why have you returned?” Her question left no confusion. Kikyo did not want Kagome back nor did she want the girl around to mess with her plans.

 _‘How dare she speak to Kagome like that?! She’s the one no one wants around yet she’s going to act like this?’_  Sango was about to intervein to protect her heart sister when Kagome proved just how much she’s changed in such a short time.

Rising to her feet, Kagome ignored Kikyo completely. The only reason anyone would know Kikyo spoke at all was if you heard her. “Sango? Wanna go to the hot springs for some girl talk before I head home?”

“Yes! We have so much to talk about.” If the dead miko wasn’t going to bother Kagome, then Sango wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire. She was proud of the younger woman for being the bigger person.

Linking arms, the girs quickly left the hut. Miroku stayed seated, finally understanding his past actions were hurting Sango. Even if he couldn’t be with her, he could protect her, even if he had to protect her from himself.

That was his plan before Inuyasha jumped up and followed them. Sadly, the half-demon wasn’t a pervert so if he was following the girls it was to cause drama and possibly hurt Kagome, who he saw as a younger sister. He kept his distance, staying in the doorway since he knew the girls could handle him. The monk just wanted to be there for not only support but also to pull his friend away if he got in Kagome’s face.

“Oi! What the hell do ya mean ‘before you head home?’ You just got here and you haven’t even told us what you’ve been doing with Sesshomaru! You can’t just leave again!” He grabbed Kagome’s arm to stop her from walking away. He was hurt that Kagome could treat him like this, they were best friends and she was supposed to be in love with him. How could she cut him out of her life? The only emotion Inuyasha felt comfortable with was anger , he hoped yelling at her would get her to fall back into their typical pattern. He couldn’t lose her.

“Actually, I can. You are **not** my boss nor my father. You wanted Kikyo in this group, you wanted her with you. You got her, go take her and find your jewel. I’ll be back to finish this. Unlike some people I know, I keep my word.” She barely got those words out. It killed her to be so mean, but it had to be done.  She knew if she showed any signs of weakness, he would grab it and keep fighting with her.

Inuyasha was stunned. _‘Have I caused this?_ ’ He wondered.

“Kagome?” He quietly called her name in the hopes she’d stop and look back. She didn’t. Kagome kept walking with Sango to the hot springs.

**Hot Springs**

Both girls were enjoying the feel of the warm water, it was a great way to calm their nerves and help them relax before they started talking. While both girls fully trusted each other, there was a little tension between them. Neither knowing how to start the conversation.

Maybe the best way would be to start simple. “Kagome, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. (sigh) It’s stressful, I mean everything has changed so much. From our group splitting up, Taking Shippo away from our little family, spending most my time at home. It’s good though. I’m actually getting my schoolwork done, Sango. Not only that, but I’m getting it right! I’m actually learning for the first time in what feels like forever.”

“How long is your deal with Lord Sesshomaru?”

“Well, we thought it would take at least five months but I’m speeding through everything. I’m keeping the same hours I had here. I wake up before everyone else and get a good two hours of work done before I start my training. My family is so proud, my grades are great, and to be honest with you, my mental health is much better as well.”

“Your mental health?”

“Yes, before I was always stressed, sad, worried, just a mess. Now, I’m stressed but it’s at a much lower level.”

“I’m glad you’re doing better. You look well. If your getting your school done quicker than you planned, how much time are you able to commit to your training?” Sango was proud of what Kagome was doing, she knew it was difficult on her, but Sango was sure her friend would come out stronger in the end.

“I spend my mornings focusing on my reiki and helping my grandfather around the shrine. While we work together, he talks to me about the past, er this era. I’m learning so much about demons and hopefully I won’t be so worthless when I come back here full time.

“Don’t be like that, Kagome! None of us think you’re worthless.” Sango was worried how much damage Inuyasha had caused with his harsh words. She wasn’t going to let this continue, Kagome was a valuable member of their team.

“It’s okay, I am. In my time I’m useful and don’t have to worry but here? Here you need to know how to hunt, clean a kill, fight, and all at a young age. I can’t do any of that. I can’t make a shelter and we all know that without you or the rest of the group here to help me I would never had made it a day.”

Sango was at a loss. How do you respond to something like that? It was true, Kagome did lack the basic skills needed to survive here but that didn’t mean she wasn’t helpful in her own way. Kagome brought all kinds of knowledge that they would never have heard of before. Plus, she was someone they all trusted and leaned on for support. Sango wanted to say all that but didn’t think it would help any.

“Let’s go back to camp. Hopefully Inuyasha and Kikyo are gone by now.” Kagome offered.

“Alright.”

They two quickly dried and redressed before heading back to Kaede’s hut.

**Western Castle**

The Western lands were always a strict place to live but now it was worse. Anyone who didn’t have to be in the palace left. When Lord Sesshomaru arrived home, after taking Kagome to the well, he was in a horrible mood. Not a single demon went near the Western Lord unless absolutely necessary.

While it was common to irritate Sesshomaru, normally it was a cold glare in return. The inu daiyokai was currently snapping at anyone who dared breathe near him. Punishments were being handed out left and right.

All this added fuel to the rumor mill.

From an outsider’s point of view, it appeared like two lovers in a fight. Lord Sesshomaru never did anything for others unless he gained from it. Here he was, staying home and carrying for a young woman’s adopted kit instead of traveling the land in search of Naraku all for someone who had nothing to offer their Lord. Then, he comes back in a horrible mood with that same female missing. If that wasn't’ enough to cause people to talk than the fact Rin and Shippo could be heard crying since they spoke to their Lord was the final nail in the coffin. There was no question about it, something was happening between Kagome and Sesshomaru.

Raku had been trying to calm the children down since Sesshomaru informed them Kagome would not be returning until it was time for the final battle. While the Western Nanny could never voice how she was feeling, inside Raku was pissed at both, Kagome and Sesshomaru. Since she wasn’t there, Raku didn’t know for sure who was at fault but from the information she did have, Raku was pretty sure Sesshomaru was to blame.

With her position in the West being so low she could never voice her issues. Thankfully, Yukiko was also in Rin’s room when Sesshomaru so kindly told them “the Miko will not be returning. She will see you if she lives through the final battle.”

After an hour of the children sobbing their hearts out, Yukiko had enough. “I’m going to speak with Yukio. The pup has gone too far this time.”

After searching for his aura, she found her twin brother. He was in his sitting room with Akio going over battle plans when she barged in. Her eyes were pink, both her and her beast were livid. Only Sesshoamru would handle the situation with the kids so poorly.

“Yukiko? What’s wrong?” He was on his feet ready to hold her. He hadn’t seen her this upset since they were young. Her beast was clearly trying to break free. Not only that but she never comes in without knocking, much less baring in like a bat outta Hell. If he had to guess, it was the pup they call the Western Lord who had his sister in such a mood.

“He... he just... those poor pups! He- I don’t even know what he did but the way he told those babies broke their hearts! Raku-chan and I have been trying to calm them down since he came back.” Yuio felt slightly better after venting.

“What are you talking about, Yukiko-san? What happened to upset Lady Rin and the kit? I know they must be sad Kagome’s gone and will miss her, but she’ll be back next month.” The Western General wished he never opened his mouth when she growled and look at him with rage filled eyes.

“That damn pup isn’t allowing Kagome back until she’s ready to fight Naraku and use the jewel.” She seethed.

Akio was on his feet in an instance. “She was to come back once a month to check on the children and heal our Army so we can train harder than ever before. Is he still planning on visiting her three times a month? Actually, never mind. I will go speak to Lady Rin and Little Shippo.” He may be the Western General, but Akio hated seeing hurt pups. Especially Lady Rin.

He knew the twins would want to speak to each other alone, they were the only ones who would be able to speak with their Lord. Maybe they’d be able to make things right. As he was leaving his mentor’s sitting room, the bell rang announcing the arrival of Lady Mother.

“Thank the Kamis! Maybe she can talk to her pup, I’m done trying.” Yukio was worried about her old friend. Being back after so long was going to be difficult but hopefully her motherly instincts would kick in and she would be able to sort everything out.

“Oh Yukiko, you don’t mean that.” He wanted to calm her down before they met up with everyone. Having her upset wasn’t going to help anyone.

“You don’t know, I might be.” Yukiko snapped.

The twins made their way towards the Great Hall to greet Lady Mother. This would end on of two ways; either the tow of them reconnecting would do them both some good and possibly get Sesshomaru to fix whatever happened between him and the miko or they’d need to build a new castle once the mother and son reunion was over.

Lady Mother wasn’t sure what to expect when she returned to the West after being gone for so long. She knew there would be whispers, possibly anger, but she truly didn’t expect to see a small human child with tear stains on her face standing by her son while a little kit hid behind the human, also clearly distraught. Looking from the young to her own son she noticed he didn’t have his mask of indifference; he was clearly pissed. She hated seeing him so upset all the time, she wanted to see Sesshomaru happy and with a family of his own.

Lady Mother often wondered how things would have turned out if she took him with her to the palace in the sky. It killed her to leave her pup behind with her absentee mate. Hell, she even asked her mate but there was no way she could take him. Sesshomaru had to stay in the West in order to train as the next Western Lord. Staying to raise him wasn’t an option either, she wasn’t mentally capable of handling the love of her life with someone else.

Realizing her son wasn’t going to break the awkward silence that had fallen through the hall she took it upon herself to start the conversation. “Son, are you going to introduce me to everyone?” She hoped hearing her speak would snap everyone out of their thoughts.

Trying not to growl at his mother for demanding respect after leaving him behind, Sesshomaru bowed his head to show respect as he said “Mother.”

He gently placed his clawed hand on Rin’s head, “This is Rin and the kit is Shippo. You know everyone else.”

Rin wasn’t sure what to do, she had never met Sesshomaru’s mother before and the only family her Lord had was Inuyasha. Assuming she needed to say something, Rin stepped forwards and gave her possible grandmother the biggest smile she could, trying to ignore how sad she was at the moment.

“Hello, Rin is Rin. You’re really pretty, like Kagome.” As soon as she said Kagome’s name the kit instantly started to tear up a bit. Rin’s smile all but vanished. Clearly whatever happened involved this Kagome. Unfortunately, Lady Mother had been traveling all day, so she didn’t know any specifics.

“Kagome? Who is that, child?” Lady Mother cooed trying to get some answers before she was forced to try and get answers from her son.

Trying to hold back the sob working its way up her throat. She wasn’t sure what to say, Rin didn’t want to upset her father figure, but she was a horrible liar. Sesshomaru saved her from having to figure it out by ending all communication between the two women.

“Rin, take the kit back to your room.”

The two quickly took off in hopes of making it to their room and the security offered from being behind closed doors before they broke down, again.

To say Sesshomaru’s mom was shocked was an understatement. Two little ones under her son’s care were hurting and her son had the audacity to dismiss them in such a cold way. What happened to her little boy? Even when she watched through her magic mirror, Sesshomaru was cold and distant with people but this was completely different. He was just plain mean towards those pups. Something she’s never seen before.

“Son, let us go to your study.” She needed to speak to him. It would be up to him if they had this conversation in front of the whole castle or not. She hoped once Sesshomaru was able to hash everything out with her he might be willing to fix their relationship.

“Hn.” He turned and lead the way. Whatever his mother wanted; he knew it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

 **Mother could help.** His beast offered.

_She will not because there is nothing for her to assist This One with._

**We miss her.** He whined. His beast was tired of how annoying his more humanoid self was being.

 _No, we wanted to prove she wanted us, that is all._ Sesshomaru wasn’t about to have this talk with his beast, again. They just got back in harmony with each other.

**If she was like other females than we wouldn’t have touched her, and she _did_ want us. She just wanted more than what you wanted to give. We _will_ give her what she wants. If you do not, then I will. We want her and won’t lose her to another. **

Sesshomaru was about to answer his beast when a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

 _This is not over._ He warned his beast before turning his attention back to his mother.

“Son, I think it’s time we talk about everything.” His mother was trying to pull him away from his beast so they could speak while it was normal for demons to speak with their beasts, it was uncommon for demons to talk to them while others are around.

“Hn.” Sesshomaru started to pour himself some sake. If he was going to be stuck dealing with his mother than he’d need something to make it through this reunion.

“Sesshomaru, you will not ‘hn’ me, your own mother.” She said with a look that a mother would give any child while disciplining them.

His only response was to look at her. He was a grown yokai. Hell, he was a daiyokai. Sesshomaru was not going to be talked to like a pup. He had to deal with Yukio’s “talk” and now he was going to have to listen to his mother. Last time he saw her she was a mess. He wasn’t even sure she’d make it a full year after his father left. Now she wants to come back here and tell him what to do? That was not going to happen. In Sesshomaru’s mind, she had her chance and she choose to leave him. She gave up her right to mother him when she left.

“Son, I don’t know what is going on with you, but I have been watching you, you know this. I’m sorry I had to leave. I couldn’t stay here any longer. Everywhere I looked I saw him, I saw old memories, I saw what I thought would happen when you were older. If I stayed, I would never have lasted. Please, allow me to be here for you now.” She knew she was begging, but she didn’t care. Lady Mother would do anything for another chance with her son.

“Mother, This Sesshomaru does not need this now.” As he spoke, he walked towards the window and turned his back to the table where his mother was standing near. He couldn’t see her upset again. It brought back too many horrible memories and now he was the cause.

Lady Mother looked around in frustration. Maybe something would catch her eye to offer some sign on how she could connect with him again. Taking a quick sweep of the study, her eyes landed on something seemingly out of place on his desk. On the corner sat an odd scroll, it was bright white. Most paper was off white due to travel and what not. Seeing her son still looking out the window, she grabbed the scroll, noting it smelled of a female, this same scent was on not only Sesshomaru but also Rin and Shippo. Unrolling the paper bright pink characters stood out. Now she had to read it.

_Who in the world would give Sesshomaru something so bright?_

-OMTL-

_Lord Sesshomaru, of the Western Lands & Higurashi Kagome, The Shikon no Tama Miko Agreement_

  1. _Shippo is to stay with Lord Sesshomaru while Kagome is back at her home working on schooling and her training._
  2. _Kagome will promise one year of her time to work with Rin after the jewel is complete and Naraku is defeated. Location is dependent on Lord Sesshomaru’s needs._
  3. _Kagome will block Inuyasha from the well and give Lord Sesshomaru a path through the well with the use of an amulet that will have a part of Kagome’s reiki in it, so the well accepts him._
  4. _Kagome will heal Lord Sesshomaru’s Army so he may push them harder, Kagome will receive three coins for this in order to care for her family._
  5. _Kagome will heal Lord Sesshomaru’s arm back to its original form, before the “incident.”_
  6. _Lord Sesshomaru will train Kagome to use her reiki and fight before the final battle._
  7. _Kagome will not hinder Lord Sesshomaru in any way, shape, or form._
  8. _Kagome will help with the Western’s defenses with her future information, to a point. There is no telling what is to come or how to stop what is to come._
  9. _Kagome will follow through with the jewel and not give it to anyone, including Inuyasha_
  10. _Kagome will stay out of Lord Sesshomaru’s life outside of what is listed above and not annoy him or his staff, apart from Jaken._



_More can be added at any time if both parties agree to the addition._

-OMTL-

 

When his mother didn’t say anything, Sesshomaru turned to see if she was okay. Lucky for him, Sesshomaru had many years of practicing his cold mask so it didn’t change when he saw his mother holding his agreement with Kagome.

_Oh, for the love of-_

**This is good! She could help us. She now knows, she is Pack Mother, who better to speak to?** Sesshomaru’s beast was pacing in his mind, trying to find a way to escape so he could take care of things. If he were in control, he would have rushed back to the well so him and the miko could talk. When you find someone, your beast wants you don’t let them get away.  **And you think I’m the beast.**

_This Sesshomaru will do no such thing. Once Naraku is defeated, we will not be seeing Kagome again. I will have Rin stay in the village with the old miko for her training._

**What?! You will do no such thing!** His beast was livid and ready to fight for dominance.

“Sesshomaru, what is this? Is this Kagome you made the agreement with the same Kagome your ward mentioned? I’m assuming the Shippo in this (she waved the scroll towards him) is the same small kit I met today. Why would you make this agreement with her? Reading over this, it would appear she is getting the better deal.” Now her interest was piqued. This wasn’t like her son at all.

“Do not worry about it.” Sesshomaru waved off, hoping that would be the end of their conversation.

“Sesshomaru. You will talk to me this instance. There are two little ones hurting because of this. Your staff is whispering, which wouldn’t normally bother me, but when my son is the topic of gossip, I do care. I can feel how royally pissed Yukio and Yukiko are, while Akio seems to feel at a lost. You (she waved one elegant clawed hand in his direction) my son, look like Hell. As I said, I’ve been watching you your whole life through my mirror and I know your cold mask but this, this is different. You are my son. You will tell me what is wrong, and we will come up with a solution together. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

His mother’s small speech seemed to shake Sesshomaru, for his eyes showed his struggle. If she had to guess, he was fighting with his beast and trying to figure out how he feels about everything that has happened recently. Being closed off for so long hindered his ability to handle so many emotions.

Knowing how her son worked and that he wasn’t going to say anything else to her any time soon, she left the study. Lady Mother would do her own digging until she could figure out what all is going on.

 As she left the room she thought, ‘Inu no Taisho, I blame you for our son’s hard head.’ She could feel him laughing at her.

**Two Days Later:**

Kagome looked up at the beautiful sky above her. It was a perfect day for her, the sky was light blue with white puffy clouds floating by. She felt as if she was in a snow globe, minus the snow. The only thing that would make this better would be if she wasn’t dying. Her body hurt so badly; her lungs couldn’t take in air. Hopefully it would be over soon. Closing her eyes, she waited for death to take her.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Rin’s Rooms**

The children were hiding in Rin’s rooms still. Sesshomaru figured they would’ve calmed down by now but no such luck. They truly loved Kagome like a mother and the small slip of her name was enough to push the kids back into a devastated state of mind.

Akio came to check on them when the bells rang, indicating Lady Mother’s arrival. After escorting them down so they could greet their Lord’s Mother he quickly followed them back to Rin’s rooms when Sesshomaru coldly dismissed them. It took over an hour for them to settle down enough to try and talk to them.

“Would you enjoy hearing a story?” He hoped the offer would ease their pain, even if it meant he had to read some silly love story.

“No thank you.” Rin whispered.

Akio was about to take them outside for a game of tag when Lady Mother walked in, surprising everyone by hiding her aura, like her son does. The Western General dropped to his knees and lowered himself to a low bow to show his respect.

“Akio, you are free to go.” The Lady of the Sky Palace stated.

“My Lady, I am honored you would want to spend time with them, but I shouldn’t leave my post.” He tried to respond without looking up.

“Akio.” Lady Mother’s tone left no room to argue. He decided he would leave as asked but remain in the hallway in case she needed to leave.

The General wasn’t stupid, he knew Lady Mother’s anger put Sesshomaru’s to shame. To put it simply, Akio was terrified of her.

While Akio was trying to ignore the hit his ego took, Rin broke the silence, curious to see what her potential grandmother would want with them. “Hello, Rin is happy to see you. This is Shippo.” Rin pulled Shippo forward to meet the demoness.

The young kit bowed his head respectfully but didn’t dare speak. He wasn’t sure what to think about her. By her title and power, Shippo knew she was an Alpha Bitch. What he didn’t know was if Sesshomaru received his cold and hateful attitude from his mother or not. Would she kick him and Rin out? Would she kill them?!

Smelling the fear pouring off the small kit, Lady Mother quickly reassured him. “Shippo, you have no need to fear me. This One has no ill will towards you or Rin. I actually came here to find out why you two are so upset.”

After a moment of neither of them offering to talk she continued, “I know it has something to do with my son and possibly this Kagome everyone keeps whispering about.”

Both children looked down, still unable to speak up. How could they? What if she didn’t like Kagome? Plus, how could they possibly explain they want her son and Kagome to get together? It could ruin the West if he mated a human.

Continuing, she hoped they would see she was trying to bond with them. “I’ve seen her in my mirror. Kagome is very beautiful, I also noticed she takes care of you as if you were her own. Even you, Rin. Not many would dare get so close to Sesshomaru’s ward.” Lady Mother let her mask of indifference down so Rin and Shippo could see she was being honest. She wanted to help, but without the facts there wasn’t much she could do.

As the “older” brother, Shippo wasn’t sure what to do. He was just as devastated as Rin, perhaps even more. Demons pride themselves on the ability to follow their gut. He wanted to talk to her about his mom. He might be older than he looked but in demon years he was still a child. A Child that wanted his mom back. Shippo turned to Rin to see if she had an opinion on the matter.

Rin gave him a slight nod, indicating she also trusted the demoness in front of them.

“Well, um... Lady Mother-”

She cut him off, there would be no “Lady Mother” nonsense from him if they were going to get anywhere.

“Kimiko. Please, call me Kimiko.”

Shippo offered her a small smile before continuing with a little more confidence. 

“Kimiko, Kagome is my mama, she has been for a few years now. She’s the best mom in the whole wide world! When Lord Sesshomaru joined our group, she took over caring for Rin too. It’s like Rin is my sister now! We like having them together, and us together.”

His little tail dropped as he continued on with his explanation, “I knew it wouldn’t last, but the deal Kagome and your son made gave us time together. At least for another year after Naraku is killed. She was going to visit us once a month and send letters with Sesshomaru when he visited her once a week. Now? I don’t know what happened because Sesshomaru came home from taking her back to her... village he told us we won’t see her again “unless she lives through the final battle with Naraku.” We asked if he would still visit her, at least hear from her and he told us no.”

Shippo had to stop because he was starting to cry again. _‘Some demon. Crying because I can’t see my mom. She must think I’m pathetic.’_ He looked down in shame, breaking Kimiko’s heart.

“Rin and Shippo are worried because we love her and want her to come home to us. Rin doesn’t know what happened but Lord Sesshomaru seems really upset.” Rin finished for Shippo.

Kimiko could understand their thinking. Who pup wouldn’t want their only father and mother figure to end up together? What child doesn’t want a family, if anyone understood it was her. She would have done anything to keep her mate and son together.

Deep down, Sesshomaru could also understand. It tore him apart when his father chose to protect a human and his half-brother overstaying his him in the land of the living.  The real issue was, Kimiko wasn’t sure if she had more answers or questions.

She already knew the children were close due to what she was able to see in her mirror, and Rin saw Sesshomaru as a father and Shippo saw Kagome as a mother, but the two adults? She had no idea. There had to be something there for her icy son to help. What could have happened between the miko and her son? What would make him close up more than ever before?

At least now she knew it had to be something between them. With a direction in mind, Kimiko started to come up with a plan. _‘Maybe it is time to use a dream spell...’_

“Do not worry, Little Ones. I’ll speak to my son and find out what is going on. Now then, show me these stories I’ve heard so much about.” Kimiko’s response was enough to offer them hope.

With a new outlook, Rin and Shippo quickly pulled their new grandmother towards the pile of books Kagome left with them while talking a mile a minute about which were the best. Of course, the two talked at the same time causing the older inu to laugh at their actions.

While Kimiko read the third story of the night, the children had smiles on their faces.

They knew Kimiko would get Kagome back and no one could stay unhappy with Kagome around! Sesshomaru would be happy and they’d be a family. That was the last thought the two shared before falling asleep that night.

**Sesshomaru’s Study**

The Western Lord was mentally exhausted. He just patched things up with his beast yet here he is, fighting with his beast, yet again. Sesshomaru couldn’t understand how the young miko was able to hurt him. It felt like one of her arrows pierced his chest. Sitting around thinking about “what ifs” wasn’t going to help him. He needed to think about everything. Maybe if he went back over everything that happened could help. It was possible he missed something, perhaps the young miko placed a spell on him.

Growling in irritation, he let his beast speak his mind, again.

**The miko, _our_ miko, would never do something so low. **

_Hn._ Sesshomaru wasn’t happy. He agreed to assist the miko not all this, the fighting with his beast, the stress, chest pain, none of this was apart of their agreement.  Absently, Sesshomaru rubbed his chest, touching the amulet she gave him to pass through the well.

**Flashback**

Once Kagome reached the little spring in front of her, she pondered if she had time to soak her feet. Since she was currently waiting, she figured it wouldn’t hurt, especially after all the walking Inuyasha made them do today.

The cool water felt amazing and helped soothe her aching feet in the hopes she could relax a bit. Kagome’s body was filled with nervous energy. Tonight, she would show her proposal to Sesshomaru. Deep down, Kagome knew she was ready.

Kagome went over everything, no matter how small it seemed. She made a list of everything she’d need to do at home, around the shrine, her home, school, for her family to be set once she was gone. She went over the shrine’s books (without her mother’s knowledge) to see where the Higurashi family was financially, how much her schooling would cost, college for her brother, repairs the house needed and anything she could see that needed to be done in order to keep the shrine into shape.

Once she had her basic lists she went to different stores to make a list of all the items she’d need for each project and what contractors would be best, how much time it would take, would the shrine have to be closed for any amount of time? It took her awhile, but Kagome did it. The next step was going over everything she would normally ask her mother to buy her when she visited. How much did it all cost? She needed to make sure everyone was covered, Kagome hoped she’d make it through the final battle, but she wasn’t stupid, she knew there was a chance she wouldn’t. As much as the thought terrified her, she knew having her family taken care of would help ease any fears she had.

…

Sesshomaru wasn’t sure what made him leave the note for the miko. Something about her breaking down in front of him… It made him feel uncomfortable. His chest tightened up and his beast whined from inside his mental cage. The Western Lord knew he had to do something to help her.

He’d seen some of her notes and knew she was not only intelligent but was truly taking this conversation seriously. Walking silently behind her, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Kagome looked near the water. Even as a human, her natural beauty could match any demoness.

His beast didn’t enjoy how his humanoid side would compare her to a demoness. He voiced as much,

**Miko is miko.**

_She is. She does not touch my person nor try to get my attention. It is pleasant to speak with someone who is educated._

**I want her.**

Surprised by his beast’s words, Sesshomaru quickly put him in his place. _No. You cannot always get what you want._

What was going on with his beast? Had he lost his mind? As if Sesshomaru would ever touch a human.

**You want her too. I am you. Look at her, she is great with pups that aren’t even her own! She’ll do a wonderful job with OUR pups. She doesn’t need us to entertain her as other females do, she doesn’t lust over our power-**

Sesshomaru had heard enough. He wasn’t going to let his beast continue.

_She may not want our power, but she WILL be like the rest. They always are. She will either be eaten up by the other Lords, leave once she has what she wants, or she will end up taking a lover as Father did. I’m sure the half-bread would gladly take that role. No, we do not need a mate._

**You are scared.**

_This Sesshomaru fears nothing!_ He snarled back while cutting off the link they shared. He couldn’t speak to his beast and listen to what the miko had to say.

The Western Lord couldn’t figure out why they were so out of sync. They were one. While it is normal for a beast to voice their opinion to the humanoid form, never had him and his beast been at war. Sesshomaru felt as if he was constantly on his toes, making sure his beast didn’t try to take over and do something stupid.

**You fear rejection.**

Never before had his beast been able to turn their link back on if he didn’t wish it. Trying to calm down, Sesshomaru responded once more.

_No one would ever reject This One. Now go before I kill her._

Snapping his eyes back towards the young woman when a soft sigh hit his ears, Sesshomaru realized something. He’d never be able to kill her. For some unknown reason, her and Rin found a way to get into his pack. No, he’d protect them as his Alpha title demanded of him.

_I cannot believe we are thinking about taking the annoying kit…_

Taking one last deep breath to calm himself and his beast, Sesshomaru was greeted with the relaxing smell that was Kagome. Stepping into the open, he went to join the young miko and possibly regret every decision he was about to make.

Sesshomaru sat with grace Kagome could only dream of. She looked over to him with flushed cheeks and smiled. All the nerves she previously soothed were now back with a vengeance. Clearing her throat, Kagome grabbed her folder she used to keep everything together and clean. Once she double checked her proposal was in perfect condition Kagome handed it to him.

The daiyokai read over her offer twice through to insure he didn’t miss anything. He was so use to others trying to sneak in requests or loopholes that Kagome’s straight forwards writing caught him off guard. The only question Sesshomaru had was about her insult.

“Miko, why do you request “a few coins?” Do you truly believe This Sesshomaru cannot afford to pay you a fair amount?” A small snarl escaped his lips at the end.

_How dare she assume This One cannot pay._

Completely stunned, Kagome started rambling, hoping to explain herself before there’s no going back. “Wait, what? No! Gods no, you forget I’m not from this time. Coins here are worth much more than you can imagine in my time. If I take a few home, I’d be able to make sure my family is well taken care of. I figured it would be a win/win. You save money and I still get what I need.”

“Hn.” He wasn’t going to give her less than what she earned; however, he would let her think she was only receiving a “few” coins to stop her from rambling on all night.

“Miko, you will add that you are not to interfere with This Sesshomaru’s life or This One’s staff.”

Kagome closed her eyes and counted to five. She couldn’t yell or she’d lose any hope of him helping her but honestly, how stupid did he think she was? Of course, she would leave him be. She simply nodded her head while an idea came to her _._

 _‘Fine. I’ll add it but I’ll also make sure you will never forget my agreement by picking the brightest color my printer has. Jerk.’_ That thought brought a smile to her face.

Sesshomaru smirked. There was the miko he knew. He couldn’t help but enjoy how fast her emotions would change. Whenever Kagome became angry, she would smell of a storm and he loved it.

He pulled out his family amulet to keep the conversation moving before she could start yelling at him. Reaching a clawed hand out, he waited for her to take it.

“This was This Sesshomaru’s grandsire’s, you may use it to get This One through the well.” He wasn’t sure what she would say to this, but it was the only thing he could think of. If anyone noticed him wearing it, they wouldn’t question why. It was a symbol of his clan. He wondered if she knew how lucky she was to be touching it.

Somehow, Kagome was able to answer his question without it being asked.

Kagome accepted the offered amulet with great care. Treating it as the most delicate item in the world. Taking a closer look, she noticed the stone matched the mark on Sesshomaru’s forehead. It felt like she was holding a part of him in her hands. Kagome would never be able to express how honored she felt to be given this opportunity.

Sesshomaru was amazed by the care Kagome took with his possession. In all honesty it wasn’t’ worth much. If he offered it to a demoness, they’d toss it. Hell, the only reason he still had it was because it was all Sesshomaru had left of his grandsire. Sesshomaru wasn’t’ open about his past, but anyone who knew him as a pup knew how much the young Lord admired his grandsire.

“Sesshomaru, it’s beautiful. Are you sure? We can use something else to channel my reiki into.” Her voice was full of wonder while look between him and the crescent moon in her hands.

“This Sesshomaru would not have handed it to you if This One was unsure.” He responded in his cold voice.

Nodding her head to show she understood, Kagome focused on her reiki. She felt it centered in her core. Closing her eyes, she tapped into her power, forcing it to her hands before she was able to push it into his amulet. Once she felt there was enough for him to pass through the well without her help, she stopped.

Looking down at it one last time, Kagome felt honored to be able to place a part of herself in such a beautiful family amulet. With one last smile, she carefully handed it back to Sesshomaru. He took it and placed it over his head, so it rested around his neck.

“Should we give it a try?”

“Hn.”

As the pair walked towards the well (one with stealth while the other tripped over some tree roots) Kagome hoped this would all work out in the end.

 

**End Flashback**

 

Looking back, Sesshomaru could admit, to himself, that she was beautiful. Even with her 500 years in the future, Sesshomaru could still feel her from the moon laying against his chest. The thought of her always being near soothed his beast but caused him turmoil.

The thoughts that always plagued his mind were causing him and his beast to fight, again. Why would he, Lord Sesshomaru, care about having a part of her near him at all times? Did he care? Was it just his beast? Sesshomaru stood from his pillow in his study so he could try to meditate before the new day started. He was halfway to his room when he paused. His mother’s tears hit him, causing his heart to ache.

 _‘Why would she be crying?’_ He switched directions to check on her in the gardens. When he saw his mother bowing by the roses his father planted for her when they first mated it was difficult for him to make out what she was saying. Moving closer he was about to finally understand what she was saying.

“What did we do to our son? What am I going to do?” She sighed as she lowered her head. “I wish you were here; I know in the end you did not love me, but I need help. I don’t know what to do. He’s so cold Inu no Taish. He isn’t our son anymore. All he does is rule! He might be an amazing ruler, but he has no pack!” Kimiko started sobbing too much to speak.

“We are pack animals. The only one he truly seems to care for is Rin, possibly the two-headed dragon and he keeps the toad around because he’s loyal. Did I do this to our son? Did I ruin him when I left?” Her sorrow was clear in not only her words but the tone of her voice.

Sesshomaru had enough of his mother’s conversation to his father. For one, why would she even want to talk to the demon who mated her yet married another? Secondly, why would she care what is wrong with him? He was a great Lord; nothing was wrong with the way he was. As a Lord he worked hard to keep the lands strong and prospering while fighting this damn Narkau, who just won’t die.

Unfortunately, Sesshomaru didn’t know how to handle women. “Mother, you will stop this now.” He said in his emotionless voice.

Kimiko turned to find her son not even three feet away. She must have been really out of it while she was trying to speak with her late mate. Thankfully she was somewhere safe, but a move like that could have easily cost her life.

“Son-“

“Come with This One.” Sesshomaru didn’t turn around to see if his mother was following him or not, he knew she would. He led them towards his sitting rooms and offered her tea. He wasn’t sure what to say to her, he didn’t want her to go back to where she was before mentally. He wanted his mother happy but didn’t know what was wrong or how to figure out what she was upset about.

“Mother, why are you here?” He was trying, it just didn’t come out that way.

 He wanted, no, needed answers. Right now, his life was full of questions and Sesshomaru wasn’t sure if he could handle any more questions. He wanted his life back.

“I came because I saw how miserable you are. I never imagined things getting worse by the time I got here. I’m so sorry, Son. Let me help you, no one needs to know we’re working together if you want to hide it. Just don’t push me away, please.”

“Your fear is unnecessary. This One is not miserable nor do I need your assistance.” Sesshomaru didn’t want her help.

Trying to hold in her tears, Kimiko left his sitting room to hide in her room. She knew things weren’t going to get better by trying to talk to him. Maybe it was time for his father to step in after all. Holding her stone, she made a silent plea for him to come speak to their son. Since she was the one who left, maybe her late mate would have better luck getting through his thick head. One could only hope.

…

Sesshomaru was about to head to his bedroom when he was stopped for the second time that night. Rin was still awake; she was a great sleeper, so this was very different for her. Curious to see why his young ward would be awake this late in the night, he made his way to her rooms and slid open her door to see her trying to write something.

“Rin, what are you doing?” His voice held a softer tone now that they were alone.

Jumping up, Rin turned towards her Lord. At first, she was scared that he was angry at her but once she saw the look, he was giving her she knew that wasn’t the case.

“Rin is writing to Kagome. Rin hopes that her and Shippo can send her a letter, so she knew we miss her, and we want her to come home.”

“The miko is home.” Sesshomaru was ready to get her back into bed. Before he could tuck her in, she stopped him by confessing what she’s been doing.

“Lord Sesshomaru, Rin is worried about Kagome. Rin… Rin… um… May have found something she shouldn’t have…” Looking away, Rin handed Sesshomaru a book that was plain looking. A simple black cover. Taking it from his ward, Sesshomaru helped her into bed and sat beside her.

“What is this, Rin?”

“Rin found it with the other books, we thought it was a book full of stories she wrote but when we grabbed it for story time Raku started reading it to us but stopped. She told us it was about Kagome and put it down before reading another story. Rin was curious and found your name in it. When Raku found us with it again she took it and told us it wasn’t for our eyes.”

Nodding so she knew he heard her, Sesshomaru left the room and went to his own. Once he was alone and knew no one would disturb him he started to wonder why his name would be in a book. Skimming through it he figured it must be the miko’s journal or something. There was a bunch about his half-brother and the others in their odd pack. He stopped when he saw a page that had Rin’s name on it.

-OMTL-

_May 15 th,_

_Sesshomaru and his group joined our group today. I’ve only seen them a few times before, but I’ve always thought Rin was adorable. Inuyasha was livid; as usual, when we all agreed to have them stay with us. But how can Sesshomaru be as terrible as Inuyasha says when he keeps Rin around? He clearly cares because he makes the toad thing watch her and care for her. What’s the toad’s name? I’ll have to keep my ears open; he may be rude and a pain in the ass but I should know his name._

_Oh! We found a jewel shard today!_

-OMTL-

He stopped reading when he noticed it had nothing else to do with Rin. Skimming ahead more, he found another passage that caught his attention.

-OMTL-

_Aug. 25 th,_

_Rin is what I always dreamed my daughter would be like if I had one. She looks like me too! I wish I could bring her home with me, Mama would flip_! **(Why would one’s mother “flip”? He thought to himself)** _I wonder if Sesshomaru would know if it’s possible for me to adopt Shippo, the demon way. I mean if I’m human and he’s a demon do I adopt him in both cultures? Just human? Just demon? Maybe I can do both… I wonder if Shippo would want that thought. He does love me, I know that, but would he feel like I’m trying to replace his family? I would never do that! I hope he knows that!_

**(Sesshomaru skims ahead when she starts to ramble on with her thoughts until he saw his name again).**

_Did Sesshomaru adopt Rin? I wonder if he would even have to as a Lord. Heck, I don’t think anyone would tell him what he could or couldn’t do. He’s too strong to piss off… Unless you’re Inuyasha, then you piss off everyone within a five-mile radius._ **(‘Smart girl’ he thought).**

-OMTL-

_Sept. 13 th,_

_I’ve been spending too much time with Miroku… That dream of Sesshomau, ugh then waking up with both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru looking at me. I didn’t even understand what was going on until Shippo told me they could all smell my arousal! I couldn’t even look at Shippo for the rest of the day after that._

_But Sesshomaru, he does have an amazing body. But past that, he really cares for Rin and that’s such a turn on. Even if he does hide it. He’s so silly, the little things he does for her count. I wonder if he’s ever come out and said “I love you” to her… Even if he hasn’t, I’m sure Rin knows he does, as she loves him._

_Besides his Godly body and being an amazing father, there is also the way he talks to me! Whenever Sesshomaru and I talk at night, while Inuyasha is away, I feel important. He asks me questions and listens to my reasoning. It’s nice to be looked at as more than a shard detector…_

-OMTL-

At this Sesshomaru’s eyebrows shot up into his hair line. He remembered that morning very well. Her scent hit him hard. When he looked at her, she started to toss and turn a little. The little sounds she was making was enough to wake his beast. He’d never say it out loud, but her smell was very tempting. That was until he thought Kagome was thinking of Inuyasha. At that, his mood quickly soured.

 **Told you.** His beast added.

_Leave This One._

**Skip ahead.**

_All This Sesshomaru is doing is finding out what Rin saw. Nothing more._

**As true as that may be, skip to your bathroom incident. Skip to where this mess started. We already know she finds us attractive and clearly has an interest. Take the opportunity to see what she is really thinking!** Man, his human side could be so dumb. He was getting a blessing from the Gods! Getting an inside view of a woman’s mind was huge!

_This Sesshomaru has no need. It is clear Rin saw a stupid human writing down random thoughts is all. We have no need to read more._

**Then close the book and walk away.**

Sesshomaru did just that. He closed the Miko’s book and placed it by his futon. He went to enjoy a bath before he tried to mediate. After he was clean and a bit less tense, he noticed the book. After glaring at it for a good minute he crawled into his large bed. Ignoring his beast’s snickers, he caved and opened the journal back to where he left off to find the page he needed.

_This means nothing._

**Hn.**

-OMTL-

_Nov. 9 th,_

_OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!_ **(Sesshomaru was at a loss for what this could mean so he read on).** _This would only happen to me! Seriously, how did this even happen???? The sexiest man alive_ **(he smirked at that)** _was taking a bath and little ol’ me just walked right on in… Well no. More like slipped and fell, made a complete fool of myself, was mortified and then ran away as fast as I could. The odd part about it was not only did he save me from a nasty fall, that I could chock up to needing her healthy to help his Army, but he held me for a few minutes…_

_For hating humans you’d think Sesshomaru would have thrown me out, literally, but he didn’t. We were even touching. There was nothing between our bodies! I mean, of course I reacted but so did he. I’m sure he knew I was turned on by his hard, chiseled chest and strong firm arm wrapped around me pulling us together. The way my nipples rubbed his chest when I moved, it was the most intimate situation I’ve ever been in! Sesshomaru? Who knows how many demonesses he’s been with._ **(‘This would explain her comment about “a one-night stand”).**

_Ugh! I’m worse off than I thought, just writing that made my heart hurt._ **(‘So, she does want this one’).** _I know it wasn’t just in my head though because when I tried to break away, he told me to stop and not to move. It was so confusing and then his penis touched me! I don’t think he was fully hard, but he was still quite impressive. Oh Lord, I need to stop thinking about this before someone smells me, again. Stupid demon nos. I just don’t understand why he was reacting to me of all people. He may not hate me, but I know he would never be interested in someone as plain and boring as me._

-OMTL-

Sesshomaru stopped reading there when he noticed there were parts of the page that looked like there were water drops on them.

 **Tears.** His beast snarled.

…

 **Have nothing to say? Does what she said before leaving make sense now?** His beast was pissed. How could his other half be this cold and hurtful?

 **Here, let me replay that last moment together.** With that said, his beast pulled those memories up to the front of their mind. He would make his “rational” side see how it all connects.

 

**Flashback (Chapter 10 ending)**

“Sesshomaru, what are we doing?” 

 

Said male let a small smile grace his face when she dropped his title. It made them feel more intimate. He knew she probably wouldn’t like his answer, but he was always honest and said only what he meant. “This Sesshomaru does not know.”  

 

Kagome was disappointed, she had hoped this would be a romantic moment between them. She pulled back from him, grateful that he let her. She stood as tall as she could, ready to be strong and protect her heart. “Lord Sesshomaru, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. I can’t fall for someone to be pushed aside, again. I can’t get the children excited that their two favorite people will be together, and they will be a family for nothing, and I won’t settle for less than love. I’d rather be alone forever then not be loved in return.” 

 

Kagome was shocked when Sesshomaru took a step back, cold eyes looking back at her.  

 

“The deal stands. You will train so you can take the jewel away from Naraku and purify it. The kit will stay with This One until you are ready to fight.”

 

Gasp! He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he did, could he? 

 

“Will I see you, in my time?” 

 

“No.”

**End Flashback**

Now Sesshomaru felt terrible. He had assumed she was playing games with him like all other females typically did with him. He thought she would turn him away because he is so cold, and she was so full of life. Fully at a loss, he finally realized he needed to do something. Maybe the kit would have information that could help explain what all was going on in that little miko’s head.

 

Now the real question was how to get the answers he wanted without having to show he cared by asking questions….

 

Then it hit him.

Rin.

**Two Days Later**

Kagome looked up at the beautiful sky above her. It was a perfect day for her, the sky was light blue with white puffy clouds floating by. She felt as if she was in a snow globe, minus the snow. The only thing that would make this better would be if she wasn’t dying. Her body hurt so badly; her lungs couldn’t take in air. Hopefully it would be over soon. Closing her eyes, she waited for death to take her.

“Kagome!” Someone called her name, but she wasn’t responding.

“Come on, Sis! I know suicides aren’t fun, but we need to do a few more sprints and another mile for a cool down. You said you wanted to shape up and do it fat so I’m trying to help you.” Sota whined.

“Sprints! Are you insane?! I can’t do that and another mile!”

“Fine. I’ll go on my own.” He started stomping away with a smile on his face. He knew his sister would get up if he acted like he was done with her. Kagome wanted to get in shape and knew Sota was her best bet.

Groaning, Kagome slowly got to her feet. She knew it was time to get back to work if she wanted to reach her goals. She wasn’t “out of shape” for a human; she could walk for days, run when she needed to but now Kagome was up against demons. She had to improve her physical strength, as a last resort Kagome could use her reiki to push her body harder. She timed herself and with the use of her powers she was able to match Inuyasha’s speed. While that was a huge accomplishment and she was proud of herself it was also a drain on her powers that could leave her vulnerable. That wasn’t okay in the young miko’s eyes, she vowed to never be worthless again.

Making her way over to her annoying little brother, Kagome glared at him when Sota smirked at her. Taking a deep breath, Kagome readied herself for this “training” her brother had planned for them, she was pretty sure it was his way of getting back at her for all the things she’s ever done to him. At least she finally got Sesshomaru off her mind.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 Rewritten**

**_AN:_ ** _I do not own Sunfire books and I don’t own Bleach (thought I’d add that since I got an idea from that for this story with the butterfly)._

…

Inuyasha was at a loss. First, Kagome acted so differently towards him. She didn’t argue with him, she just left him here while she went back to her time. Kagome didn’t even offer to fix the well so he could visit her. Inuyasha knew she was upset with him but part of him was thankful she left, He really didn’t' want to hear any more about his half-brother.

No, he knew without a doubt Kagome would come back when she was ready. Kikyo was a different story. Right after Kagome went to the hot springs with Sango, Kikyo also left. While her leaving was nothing new, not coming back was. Inuyasha tried everything to find his past lover. Inuyasha searched the ground and trees, trying to sniff out her scent, listened for anything that could help, but in the end, he came up empty. Now, the two most important people in his life were missing, and to top it off he had to deal with the love birds. Miroku and Sango managed to find a way to be lovey dovey without even doing anything! How does that even happen?

Being happy he didn’t have to think about Sesshomaru was nice but mostly it hurt. He hated when him and Kagome were apart, which confused him even more. Why did he miss Kagome but feel pure relief when Kikyo was gone? The pressure of trying to get her and his friends to speak or keep Sango from killing Kikyo, again. It was all becoming too much.

When he was alone with Kikyo things weren’t much better. Inuyasha kept trying to talk to her so he could try to get to know her again. The dead miko would always blow him off without any explanation.

Maybe with both his love interests gone, Inuyasha would be able to think and possibly figure out how he truly felt. With Kagome, he knew he loved her. He just wasn’t sure if he loved her for her or because Kagome loved him unconditionally. Maybe it was because she held a part of Kikyo in her. Inuyasha missed Kagome so much it hurt. Then, seeing his Kagome with Sesshomaru felt like he was stabbed in the heart. He couldn’t imagine what that asshole was telling her.

With Kikyo it was different. He wasn’t sure if he loved her or felt he needed to love her because of their past. Even when she was alive, Kikyo never loved Inuyasha for who he was. She wanted him to become human and that just wasn’t him.

Sighing, the half demon jumped down from the tree he was using to think in to go eat. All this thinking was making him hungry.

**Deep in the North**

“Is she dead?”

“No, she went back home. She will not be coming back t this time. Her and the Western Lord had an argument.” Kikyo’s monotone voice answered.

“Is that so? Hm... Kanna, show me the miko.” Naraku demanded. It would be great for him if the dead woman was right, but he didn’t trust her.

When Kanna didn’t immediately obey and her mirror remained blank Naraku calmly waited for an explanation. Unlike Kikyo and Kagura, he trusted Kanna.

“I’m sorry, My Lord. My mirror can’t find her.” The void demon stood strong as she waited for her punishment. Kanna knew she deserved one for failing her master.

“Don’t worry Kanna, we’ll find her. In the meantime, Kagura! I want you to go and cause some trouble for our favorite jewel hunting group.” He demanded.

“As you wish, Master.” The wind demoness responded with as much sarcasm as she could muster while pulling her feather from her hair.

**500 Years in the Future**

Kagome finished her third book that day. Once she was able to move again after Sota’s “help,” Kagome Googled books to help her feel better about leaving Sesshomaru. She wanted romance without any cheating. Her search came up with the Sunfire books, even though it was specific to Americans it was just what she needed. They were about young love during tough times. These people didn’t get comfort, they didn’t “date,” they just were. If they were lucky enough to see the person they loved again, then they might be able to marry someday.

Placing her book back on the table, Kagome thought over the differences between her expectations and the time the books took place. She was starting to feel terrible. Kagome felt like a bitch, she never even thought about his feelings.

The connection she felt with the teens in the books was unreal. They were women ahead of their time and that’s how Kagome felt in the past. She didn’t play by their rules and she needed someone who accepted her for who she truly was.

 _‘Who accepts me?’_ Kagome didn’t have to think long before a name came to mind.

 _‘Sesshomaru._ ’ Of course, how many late-night talks did they have? How many times did they have a connection? The whole time with Sesshomaru, Kagome was so worried about her heart that she couldn’t see past her own walls. Did she push him away?

It was true that Inuyasha did some damage on her heart and trust, but she did learn something from him, Kagome realized now they were never more than friends. Yes, she had feelings for him and Kagome was pretty sure Inuyasha had feelings for her as well, but he never once made a move to pull them from the friend zone and keep it there.

She didn’t agree with how things were handled between the two of them, both of them could have handled things differently. The young woman realized she enabled her best friend to keep both women in his life. Why would Inuyasha ever choose between Kikyo and Kagome if both women were going along with the love triangle? No one would want to make such a difficult choice if they didn’t have to.

Things were different with his half-brother. The odd relationship Kagome had with Sesshomaru was completely different, but also started the same. They were enemies, he hated her after she gave Inuyasha their father’s sward, and after he tried to kill her, she wasn’t thrilled to see him. Once they shared a common enemy, they disliked more than each other they became allies. The difference came next. Instead of the fighting and drama Kagome had with Inuyasha, her and Sesshomaru grew to respect each other and a friendship was born.

Did Kagome want to be like the girls in the books? Could she give up her dreams of a big, flashy romance? Could Kagome trust Sesshomaru enough to build a romantic relationship without a title?

That’s when Kagome had a light bulb moment.

What’s more romantic than knowing you can trust them with your life? She knew Sesshomaru would always be there to save her if she was in danger. Hell, he was one of the four major Lords. Sesshomaru was taking a huge risk by bringing her and her kit to his home, and when he kissed her, someone could have seen them! How did she respond? She pushed him away when he couldn’t offer a long-term commitment with a title ready when she asked. Why did she expect him to ask her out? That wasn’t a thing in his time. There was seeing each other, courting, then marriage/mating.

As she re-evaluated the situation her and Sesshomaru were in, Kagome wanted to slam her head on her desk. They had just started to explore their limits. Trying to move past the friend zone was scary enough, why would they name it right away? Neither of them had set any ground rules. They were simply going with the flow and doing what felt right in the moment. It was going slowly but they were doing it right to build a strong bond that wouldn’t fade over time.

That wasn’t what she was used to. Kagome was used to going after Inuyasha and giving him everything she had while getting nothing in return. She couldn’t even count on him being there for her, not while Kikyo was back. No matter how much she wished it, she would never win when it came to the dead miko.

 _‘What have I done?’_ She needed to speak with Sesshomaru. She had to tell him she was wrong and explain how she felt. Now the issue was how to go about it… Kagome needed to figure out how to do that without pushing or scaring him away.

 _‘What if it’s too late? What if he found someone else? What if he never wanted to see her again? No, I need to stay focused.’_ Sesshomaru wasn’t his brother. This time when Kagome gave to the relationship, she was also getting energy and support in return.

Kagome dropped her head down into her hands. She needed to focus on what was important, her love life would need to wait, and if it couldn’t then it wasn’t meant to be. Getting back to work, Kagome started doing more research on coins to make sure she got the best deal for her family.

Kagome was meeting up with a company in a few hours to sell the coins Sesshomaru gave her. Speaking of that sneaky demon, Kagome was hoping for three maybe four coins at the most in case she let herself be talked down in price, but this? A whole pouch full was absolutely insane.

He wouldn’t listen when she tried to give some back. The only reason Kagome even dropped it was because Akio pulled her aside and explained it was an insult to him as a Lord and an Alpha to offer him payment back.

Going over her plan one more time, Kagome felt confident it would work out well. She was going to sell three coins if they offered her what she needed and give the other two to her mom for anything that might come up in the future. Kagome planned to take the rest with her so she could buy Shippo some new clothes and possibly some fox items for him to use or play with. If all went as planned, a huge weight would be lifted off her shoulders.

_‘Please let this go well. Please.’_

…

Kagome couldn’t stop smiling as she made her way to the bank. It turns out she was worried for nothing. The coin shop didn’t want to lose a chance to have such rare coins such pristine condition that they well overpaid her. Not that Kagome was complaining. No, this was all coming together perfectly. Her Mom’s birthday was a week away and Kagome wanted to have all their debt paid off from her father’s medical bills and funeral costs. She also wanted to beef up their savings and fix a few issues around the shrine. Kagome was ecstatic, she could finally give back to her amazingly supportive family.

A week later Kagome woke up and shook her brother away.  “Sota, wake up! Grampa is taking Mama out in a couple hours, so we need to be ready.”

“Ugh, go away, Sis.”

Kagome pushed him out of bed then made her way downstairs. Somethings would never change….

When their mom finally left the two got to work. They wanted to deep clean the whole house, make dinner, and decorate before she came back. Her grandfather came up with the idea to make copies of all their debts paid off and a new balance on all their accounts. Sota then told her to print out the paperwork to show the new roof would be put on the house and shrine. Kagome knew they’d never be the kind of family to splurge, but this was a necessity.

Mama worked so hard to keep things running without getting support from others. It was hard enough for her to move in with their grandfather. She was a proud, loyal, honest woman who wanted to make her late husband proud. She brought her children up to be good people. All she cared about was bringing people into the world who would help others while never worrying about where their next meal would come from.

It was no surprise how much her children loved and respected her. While they argued, the two loved each other and couldn’t wait to offer something so amazing to their mother. When they finished getting everything ready, the two of them were practically vibrating with excitement while they waited for the birthday woman to come home.

After what felt like hours, but in truth was only about 20 minutes later, they finally heard their grandpa and mama opening the door. Both kids jumped up and rushed over to greet her. Mama Higurashi wasn’t expecting anything for her birthday, all she wanted was to have her whole family together. This exceeded her expectations. Her whole house was clean, she could smell dinner and her family was together for a nice night together. She couldn’t help the tears that fell as her children hugged her tight.

Mama was in a dream world. Her kids were home, the housework wad done, Kagome and Sota didn’t fight once during dinner. Now Kagome was doing the dishes while she was told to sit and relax. Mama had no idea this was just the start of her special night.

Once the four of them were seated in the living room, they each took turns giving Mama their gifts. These were typical gifts she would get every year. Grandfather gave her something from the shrine gift shop while Kagome and Sota gave her a set of coupons that listed all the free things they’d do for her. Mama loved them, they were silly but she wouldn’t trade them for the world.

“Thank you, I love them.” Mama laughed when Grandfather offered to bless the keychain to keep demons away.

“We’re not done yet.” Sota responded as Kagome pulled out three large envelopes.

Accepting them, Mama wondered what could possibly be inside. She was about to say she didn’t need anything, but Grandfather beat her to it.

“Just open them. You’ll see in a minute.”

Nodding, Mama started opening the envelope with a large number one on it. No one moved while they waited to see her reaction. The first envelope had copies of new invoiced to prove the Higurashi family was out of debt for their father’s past medical bills, the funeral costs, and all Kagome’s medical bills she occurred over the years every time she came back home injured.

Their mom didn’t move or breathe after she looked over the papers in her hands. Tears started to form as she looked up to her family. She wanted to ask how they managed this, where did the money come from? Anything, but all that happened was her mouth opening and closing like a fish, clearly shocked and unable to get the words to come together.

Luckily, Kagome was great at reading people, so she was able to answer her mom’s unspoken questions. “Do you remember when I was explaining my deal with Sesshomaru?”

Mama was barely able to whisper yes. She was so worked up with emotions by this.

“Well we also agreed to me healing his troops for money. The coins he gave me were worth a ton here. With that we were able to pay off our debt and hopefully you’ll stop worrying about losing the shrine or making the bills every month.”

When their mom didn’t move to open the next one, Sota gave her a little nudge. “There’s more, Mama.”

Turning to look at her son, Mama slowly nodded and opened the next envelope. She had no idea what else they could have possibly done. Getting out of debt was the greatest blessing she could ask for besides her family. She reached in and saw there was a copy of her current bank accounts (Grandpa helped Kagome get all the information for this). She not only had enough money to last her years without working but her savings was full as well. At this point Mama broke down. She couldn’t believe her family did all this. She had worried for so long how she would be able to handle everything and now with Grandpa getting older, they would need to hire help for the shrine and have more medical bills coming their way.

With shaking hands, she opened the last envelope, inside was an invoice for a new roof to be put in next week. Mama put her face in her hands while her elbows rested on her knees and cried. She hadn’t felt this relieved since her husband was alive. Mama felt years younger not having to worry about money. She did have one question to ask her daughter before she could accept any of this.

“Are you sure, Kagome? If you earned this money then you should have it, not me.” Mama asked while trying to calm herself. She didn’t want her daughter to think she had to take care of them. It was her job as a teenager to have fun and enjoy life. That part was already taken away from her. Mama just wanted her daughter to be happy and not feel like she had to care for everyone.

“Oh Mama, I have plenty to take back with me and this is for everything you’ve done for us. Not only for us as a family, but for me, Inuyasha, the rest of my family in the past. You worry enough; besides, I was happy to help.” Kagome responded with tears in her eyes. She was so thankful for Sesshomaru. He gave her this amazing opportunity to give back to the amazing woman she was lucky enough to call mom.

The family spent the rest of the night together watching movies and talking. It was long overdue but all of them greatly appreciated the time together. It was in the back of everyone’s mind that Kagome might not make it through the final battle, so this was a great chance to forget their worries for a night.

* * *

 

It had been two weeks since Kagome and Sesshomaru had a falling out. The young woman wasn’t surprised he didn’t come see her the first week. It was too soon and neither of them had enough time to work out their issues. Hell, Kagome just figured out her own feelings and she was used to experiencing different emotions all the time. Sesshomaru spent most of his life closing them off so she figured it would take him longer. Plus, it gave her a chance to focus on her mom’s birthday. Today would have been the day Sesshomaru came to see her and give her an update on the kids so she woke up early, got everything done like she normally would and waited.

It was now noon and she had been sitting by the well for the past three hours hoping he would show up. It wasn’t just about her though; she knew the kids were worried about her not coming back or Sesshomaru coming to see her. They were smart, they knew something was wrong and little Shippo wasn’t even with his pack. Rin at least had her father figure. For how much she missed them, Kagome knew they missed her just as much. They were her babies, even if they weren’t blood.

Kagome spent the past two weeks trying to come up with a way to communicate with them without Sesshomaru seeing. If it was intercepted by the Western Lord, she had a feeling he wouldn’t let them have it right now and she would be damned if she didn’t find a way to get in touch with them.

That’s where this cute little butterfly came into play.

She got the idea to send a message, but it would have to be able to self-deliver while not risking any lives. If she hired someone to send a letter, she knew Sesshomaru would be pissed and hurt them. She came up with the plan while she was training. She was trying to make shapes with her reiki. Kagome did a test run with her brother when he was away on a soccer tournament last weekend and it worked! She told him to wait outside over the phone while she channeled her energy into it. When he got it, it wished him good luck before disappearing. It was perfect! Now all she had to do was build up the courage to send it. Once she did, Sesshomaru would know as soon as it entered his home. The clock would start counting down and hopefully reach the kids before he found it.

“Okay Kagome just jump into the well like you have a thousand times and send your message. Easy peasy, right?” She told herself.

By now she knew Sesshomaru wouldn’t be coming so it was safe to jump without getting caught. All that was left was to actually jump, climb out, and then send her message. There should be no harm to anyone, including herself. If there was any danger on the other side, she should be able to handle it long enough to make it back home. She had been training and it’s been going well but she wasn’t amazing at close range weapons so hopefully no one was around.

After a couple more minutes of Kagome talking herself up, she was finally ready to go back. Kagome jumped down the Bone Eaters Well and let the calming feeling of the well’s magic wash over her body till she was able to look up and see a bright, beautiful sky. She took a deep breath of fresh air before Kagome started her climb up the well. Once she made it to the top, Kagome sat on the lip and started to record her message for the pink butterfly to deliver the message. She almost added something for Sesshomaru but decided against it. Instead she sent it to the West.

When she couldn’t see the butterflies shimmering wings anymore, Kagome jumped back into the well. She had to get to the mall for a shopping trip. At this point Kagome wasn’t sure what was scarier, fighting Naraku alone or going with her girlfriends to the mall to “become a woman.” Kagome didn’t ask what that meant, sometimes it was better not knowing.

**Western Lands**

Sesshomaru was having a challenging time keeping his beast in check. It had been two weeks since he took the miko home. Unfortunately, he could still feel what her lips felt like when they touched his thanks to his beast. There had been nonstop whining about letting Kagome go and what if someone came along and took her from them.

As he stood in his study he listened to Rin and Shippo tell his mother what happened between Kagome and Inuyasha. His beast was snarling and demanding they kill the half-breed. If Sesshomaru was completely honest with himself, he agreed with his beast. The things Inuyasha did to Kagome reminded him too much of what happened to his mother. The conversation he heard also brought a belief he had home. No mate would ever be loyal.

Everyone assumed it was because of his parents but that was only part of it. The Southern Lord’s daughter taught him that lesson years ago and seeing his half-brother follow in their father’s steps, just confirmed these thoughts.

_No one can ever find love._

**Love?** His beast questioned, hoping his other half might finally be ready to talk.

_Nothing._

**See the miko. It will help.**

_We will do no such thing. Now, leave This One be._

**Fine. Listen to them speak.**

Going back to listening to what his family was talking about, not because his beast told him to, he started to understand why Kagome may have wanted answers from him. It was so she had a better understanding about what was going on between them. She probably didn’t want to be hurt again like she was with Inuyasha. Sesshomaru was ready to get back to work when he heard the young ones scream.

Without a second thought, he leapt out his study’s window to kill whatever dared not only invade his lands but go after his pack in his own home.

Landing, Sesshomaru had his sward drawn ready to kill who or what was there.

_A pink butterfly? It must be from the miko._

**See what it is!** His beast demanded.

The Western Lord calmed himself and watched as both kids touched the butterfly.

“IT’S KAGOME!” Shippo exclaimed with joy.

“Really?! What’s it doing?” Rin wasn’t sure how the butterfly was related to Kagome, but if it really was from her, she couldn’t wait to find out.

Once both children pulled their hands away the butterfly, it landed near them and Kagome’s voice could be heard.

_“Hey you two,_

_I miss you both so much! I hope you both know how much I love you and I can’t wait till I see you again. I’m sure you are both worried, but please don’t worry. Everything is fine.  Sesshomaru and I figured out it would be faster if I stayed in my time. This way I can focus completely on my schoolwork and training. I know he’s taking good care of you both, so I don’t have to worry. Plus, if I’m here Naraku can’t spy on me and I’m sure he’s going to get irritated and possibly make a mistake since the seal I put on the well not only keeps others from entering it but blocks all magic from being able to look past it. Shippo, lift your little tail up because I have great news! I’ve already finished a couple of classes early!_ (Kagome sighed here).

_I wish I knew how to have a butterfly send me back a message, but I haven’t mastered that yet. I hope this message works and again I love you both so very much. Be nice to Jaken and Shippo, no more trying out your tricks on him. I may not be there, but I do know you.”_

Shippo had a guilty look before he started looking at his paws just like he would if she was here with him.

 _“I hope you two are behaving for Sesshomaru, if you aren’t, I give him full range to deal with it, Shippo.”_ Kagome was giggling as she said that last part knowing her son would straighten up right away.

_“Goodbye you two, I’ll send another message next week.”_

Both kids watched with sad eyes as the butterfly disappeared. While hearing her voice helped, Shippo was still worried about something. He really needed to get better at hiding his feelings if he ever wanted to keep them a secret since Kimiko seemed to notice right away.

“What is it Little Kit?”

“It’s just that… if ‘Gome can send us a message does that mean she can send one to Inuyasha too?”

“Why would that matter?” Kimiko noticed her son’s eyes narrow at the thought and only hoped this would get him to step up and accept he had feelings like everyone else.

“Because if she does or if he smells her and sees her, she might let him go through the well again. If Inuyasha can go get her I know she’ll give him another chance. I don’t’ want her to be with him. It’s not that I hate him, it’s just… Well he’d take her back and make her sad again. That’s all she ever was when she was with him.”

“Rin doesn’t want that either! He’s mean to her.” She put her hands on her hip the same way Kagome did whenever she was upset.

Wait, where did Lord Sesshomaru go?” Shippo noticed he took off by the wind that rushed through his fur.

Smirking, Kimiko answered, “I think I know…”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! We bought our first house and I lost my charger in the move. I'm back though and almost done with the next chapter. So sorry for the delay and hope it's worth the wait.

**Chapter Fourteen Rewritten**

Kagome was ready to nap. Who knew shopping all day would be more exhausting than walking across all of Japan looking for jewel shards? Luckily, she was home alone for the weekend. Sota had another soccer tournament so their mom went with him while Grandpa was at a shrine owners convention. If anyone else was home, Kagome had no idea how she’d get all these embarrassing items up to her room without anyone seeing them. If her brother was the one to catch her, oh man, she’d never live it down.

Finally making it to the safety of her own room, Kagome placed her bags by her bed. Looking from them to the bed Kagome used all the grace she had to face plant into her pillow. Her friends, and she was using that term loosely after today, got together and decided Kagome needed to take care of herself. She fully agreed with them on that, but they seemed to disagree on what that looked like. To Kagome, that meant eating right, schoolwork, self-care, fitness. Them? Lingerie, lots of lingerie. They tried to explain to Kagome that the lingerie would help her feel sexy, even if no one else saw it. Something about she’d know she was wearing it and it would help, if she trusted them.

Some good did come from the little adventure she went on. While her friends were pulling her left and right, Kagome found a small shop that made kimonos. They would be simple compared to the elaborate one’s she was sure Sesshomaru had but she didn’t care. Kagome was excited to go back to the feudal era and not look “whorish.” Besides lingerie and kimonos, Kagome also bought some exercise clothes and a few dresses. Who said she couldn’t be comfy while she was back 500 years in the past? Her train of thought was cut off when her phone started bussing on her bed.

 **Ayumi:** Don’t forget, u need 2 get use 2 ur body! 4get that jerk of an ex and b proud of urself!

 **Kagome:** Yes, yes.

 **Ayumi:** Here’s the link 2 a feel-good dance video. Try 2 find time 2 dance. U should push urself girl! U want that sexy man of urs 2 notice u, the way 2 do that is 2 work it!

 **Kagome:** What new man?

 **Ayumi:** Lmao, of course there’s a new man! U didn’t talk about that jerk Inuyasha once and u did talk about whoever that Sesshomaru guy is. Idk who he is but when u did talk about him u started to glow. Work it! Get ur man!

 **Ayumi:** And then send me all the dets!

 _‘I’m not even going to respond to that. I barely mentioned Sesshomaru while we were out, and even if I did, so what?’_ She put her phone back on her bed only to pick it back up to find the link. She may not understand why they wanted her to try this, but Kagome was open minded. She’d try everything once before she made up her mind about something.

Kagome logged into her computer and typed the name into her search bar. Once it was up, she turned the volume up just a tad more than normal since she was alone. Grabbing her previously discarded bags, she headed to the bathroom to try on her first set of lingerie to wear under one of her new dresses. Her bright pink lacy bra had flowers sewed into a pattern while her matching boy shorts fit her bottom perfectly. Kagome still wasn’t sure about thongs with a dress when she was known for falling. She walked back into her bedroom to look at the full-length mirror on her bedroom door. While it was very awkward to see herself wearing so little, it did help her feel better about herself.

Her body had scars from the fights she had been in; scars she used to try and hide. But now? She took in the full image of herself and realized they didn’t take away from her beauty; in fact, they made her look strong. She turned to the side to see all of herself, she was really starting to feel better. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized that she was no copy, she was no replacement. She was Kagome. She was a strong miko, her body looked toned, but her soft skin gave her a feminine look.

Kagome moved her hands down her sides, slowly touching every inch until she brought them above her head. Once they were fully extended, she rolled her hips. With her eyes still closed, Kagome followed along with the music while her hips kept their movements as her hands started to rub down her neck. That’s when a strong body was pressed up against her back. Kagome’s eyes snapped open. She was greeted with the Western Lord standing behind her, looking at her with red tinted eyes. She watched his left hand move to her hip. He then pulled her into his body, holding her close.

Suddenly the song was forgotten when their eyes met. If he wanted to dance, then who was she to stop him?

Sesshomaru let out a low growl as Kagome pressed her ass into his manhood. She moved a little to test the waters. His tightening grip on her hip gave Kagome the courage to start grinding on him while her hands reached behind her to tangle into his silky hair. Feeling bold, Kagome pushed her chest out to give Sesshomaru a beautiful view of what was under the small kimono. He lowered his head to bring open mouth kisses along her neck. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access, fully enjoying the attention he was giving her.

Sesshomaru whispered into her ear, “Miko, you have no idea what you do to This One.”

Knowing exactly what she was doing, Kagome smiled. She moved her head till they were able to look at each other without the mirror.

“I do know. I trust you, as my Alpha and I submit to you.” She whispered back to him in a husky tone he wasn’t used to.

Pulling away, he turned her until she was facing him. Sesshomaru brought his hand up to cup her face and watched as the little miko tilted her head into his touch with a smile. He didn’t know what that emotion on her face was but knew he needed to speak up before things moved too fast.

“Miko, we must speak.” His words came off a little harsh, but she didn’t seem to mind. He was trying to contain his heart that seemed determined to beat out of his chest.

Knowing he was right; Kagome took him over to her bed where she sat with her back against the headboard with her legs tucked to her side. He sat at the foot of her bed with his back touching the wall, facing the door. Sesshomaru turned to his right to look at the nervous ball of energy before him. She looked gorgeous, like his own personal dream come true. He was starting to think visiting her was a mistake, all this was doing was making him want her more than he already did.

 **Mate.** His beast purred, still thinking over her body pressed to theirs.

Sesshomaru ignored his beast. He noticed Kagome getting ready to ask him something, so he waited. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long.

“Sesshomaru, how long have you been here?” Her nervous inquiry gave away more than she wanted. Kagome could barely keep eye contact with him.

He smirked but figured it would be best to be honest, no matter how awkward the situation became. “This One saw you look a fool, jumping around. Then you changed your moves until This Sesshomaru came in from the window.”

“Oh.” Her face was burning. Of course, he saw her. She wanted to start over with him and hoped to be someone he could be interested in but instead she showed him how stupid she could be. _‘I am a damn fool.’_

“Do not do that.” His command left no room to argue. It also didn’t offer much information.

“What?”

“Do not look down. You were enjoying yourself. Do not feel ashamed.” His answer seemed to do the trick.

Clearly shocked by his response she couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to make her feel better. That was new, hopefully it was a good sign and she would be able to get everything off her chest without embarrassing herself too much.

“Um Sesshomaru? I wanted to, no, need to say I’m sorry. I wanted an answer from you, yet I couldn’t see what we were doing myself. If… If you’d let me, I’d, well I’d like to see where this goes. No pressure! I mean if you don’t want to you totally don’t have to. We could go back to just working together if you’d like.” Kagome wanted to throw herself out her second story window. She couldn’t believe how much she rabbled. Then she started rushing so she could get everything out before having a huge freak out.

 _‘Real smooth, Kagome. Now he thinks the dancing wasn’t a one-time thing and you really are a fool.’_ Maybe he’d finally get tired of her and kill her.

“Miko you must understand, there is no mating between us. Ever. This Sesshomaru will not mate anyone. If you wish to try you must accept that this will end at some point.” He hoped that wasn’t too cold. He knew his voice sounded void of emotion, but he let his eyes show his fear. Sesshomaru only hoped she wouldn’t use it against him.

“Why? I could understand not mating me, I’m just a worthless human. But never? Not even to a powerful demoness?” Kagome didn’t understand his reasoning. Did he realize what he’d be missing if he kept himself locked away forever?

Sesshomaru didn’t respond to her. There was no reason to try and explain because one, she didn’t need to know they were only testing the waters. Second, Kagome wouldn't understand even if he tried to tell her. She was too positive, too young and full of hope. Even after everything Inuyasha did to her, she still believes in true love. Before he had a chance to figure out how to tell Kagome to mind her own business politely, Kagome’s stomach chose that time to demand food.

Blushing, Kagome asked him to follow her. “Sorry about that, will you come with me to the kitchen?

“Hn.” As he followed her down the stairs his eyes kept dropping to her hips as they swayed. He was doomed.

Once they were in the kitchen, Kagome went to work making some rice balls with lamb and steamed vegetables. “Would you like some? I could leave the meat raw for you.”

“Yes.” He was curious to see what her cooking was like.

Once dinner was done, they both took a seat at the table, Kagome poured them some tea. Watching her move around the kitchen in her little kimono had Sesshomaru thinking about mated life. Would it be like this? Having someone to care for him as she was now. Someone to relax with after a long day. Regrettably, he knew it would never last. She’d become board or resent him for all the work he has to do.

They ate dinner in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was peaceful. Once they were done, Kagome went to work on the dishes while he pretended not to be watching her.

As they walked back upstairs, Sesshomaru couldn’t keep his eyes off the way her kimono gave him small glimpses of her lacy boy shorts. Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts, he looked out the window for the first time since arriving. It was getting late; he should start heading home soon. Sesshomaru was about to tell her goodbye when Kagome boldly grabbed his hand to gain his attention.

The Wester Lord looked at her and raised an eyebrow, curious to see what she wanted from him. He allowed her to lead him to the bed, Sesshomaru even allowed himself to be pushed to sit. Maybe she wanted to talk again. Maybe she was going to dance for him, that would be very enjoyable.

**Damn.**

_Indeed._

The sexy little woman in front of him placed both her hands on his shoulders and bent down to be at his eye level. This would have worked perfectly if Sesshomaru wasn’t staring at her cleavage that was begging to jump out of their pink prison. He could hear her speaking but was so focused on the pale mounds presented to him he just nodded his head. Hopefully he didn’t just hand over his lands. This was the reason Sesshomaru never caved to female temptations. It could really cost you in the long run.

While Sesshomaru was in his own world Kagome asked him about his arm. “Do you want me to heal your arm? I’m positive I can do it now.”

His nod was all she needed to get started. Moving both hands over to his left shoulder, Kagome felt every inch of his shoulder, down his arm and lastly his hand and fingers while being careful of his deadly claws.

Feeling confident, Kagome got to work. Instead of pink, her hands glowed light blue. His skin started to tingle until there was a little pain but his youki seemed to understand Kagome wasn’t a threat and didn’t lash out at her as she feared it might. The whole process took about an hour, nevertheless Kagome had a proud smile on her face when she was done. She did it! Just by looking at them it seemed to be a perfect match. The real test would be how it felt and worked.

The Western Lord was amazed. She did it. She actually did it. This woman he had tried to kill, talked down to, thought was nothing more than a whore was able to do something few could. Kagome proved him wrong. His arm looked and felt the same as his original one. You’d never be able to tell he lost one just by looking at him.

Now he was ready to test it out. Spotting a spider on her wall, Sesshomaru used his poisonous whip to kill it. His whip was just as it was before. Looking back to Kagome, who was still kneeling in front of him, he noticed she now seemed nervous. He offered her a slight smile to show not only his approval of her work but also his gratitude

“Sesshomaru?” He could tell she was nervous but had no idea why she would be.

_‘Maybe this was a bad idea. Would it be too soon to ask him?’_

“Hn.”

“Would you... maybe consider staying here tonight? Not in an inappropriate way, but just... um, with me?”

Kagome knew whatever reasons Sesshomaru had for never mating was due to a lack of trust. Trust in others, trust in love, maybe even trust that someone could accept not only him but his role as Western Lord and a father figure to Little Rin. Everyone knew his father cheated on his mother, Inuyasha was proof of that, however something told her there was more to it than that.

Even if they never mated or stayed together past Naraku, Kagome wanted to build trust with him and give it her all. Maybe one day he’d find someone worth mating.

Now wasn’t the right time to discuss it with him. Kagome simply sat on her bed and waited for him to answer her question. She felt brave while asking but now she was unsure. He was still standing by the bed.

_‘Does he think I’m needy?’_

“Hn. Lay down, Miko.”

She quickly pulled back the blankets, not thinking about changing out of her new outfit. Kagome climbed in and faced the wall; it was a tricky situation. Where to lay? Would he want to sleep in the same bed with her? Would he sleep at all? Getting frustrated, she just made enough room for him to join her if he wanted to without feeling like he was being forced into it.

Watching her curl up in her bed, leaving her back towards him with the sign of trust called to his beast. Sesshomaru wanted to lay with her and hold her close to him while they slept. Her scent calmed him on a level he never experienced before. To be wrapped in her soothing scent while sleeping with someone for the first time was hard to give up, but he needed to think. As inus, they only slept around the trusted pack mates. Could he really do this for one night then give it up?

Knowing there was no reason to delay, Sesshomaru gave into this desire. Since his armor and swards were already off, having discarded them to join her while she was dancing, he took off the outer layer of his kimono, then his inner layer. Once his boots were off Sesshomaru was left standing in his hakamas. He slid in behind her and pulled her close. Burying his nose into her hair, he let a gentle rumble escape his chest to help Kagome sleep.

Knowing he’d crossed the line, and this would be the very first and last time he held her as they slept, Sesshomaru enjoyed the night. He pushed aside his title as The Western Lord, forgot she was only a human, that they still needed to speak about the butterfly, and he ignored the risk these emotions would bring him. Nothing mattered but him and Kagome tonight. This might be a sacred bond only mates shared, but tonight he could pretend.

That night, while he slept with Kagome in his arms, there was a smile present on his face.

* * *

 

Kimiko’s eyes glistened with happy tears as she observed the pair fall asleep holing each other. Witnessing her son look so peaceful brought joy to her heart. She officially approved of this woman and wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. Her silly son forgot no magic was strong enough to cut her off from her own son. Kimiko’s staff seemed confused and a little hesitant when she asked them to bring her mirror to the West, but it sure paid off.

Sesshomaru fell for the trap her and the young ones set up. She knew her stubborn son would never ask for assistance, even if he truly needed it since it had to do with a female.

The original plan was for her, Rin, and Shippo to have a conversation about Inuyasha and Kagome in the garden beneath Sesshomaru’s study so he could hear them speak. The hope was to give the Western Lord an inside perspective of why Kagome was nervous about starting something new. The challenge was to find a way to help without him getting suspicious, that’s where the kids came in. They were known for sharing their whole life story so a quick question about what happened between his mother and Inuyasha was all it took. Plus, this question was something many were curious about so Sesshomaru wouldn’t question why his mother asked such a thing.

Thankfully Shippo gave her, and Sesshomaru, a ton of great information to learn from. One large part of the story was how Kagome had her heart broken repeatedly by Inuyasha but was finally able to walk away and make herself stronger from it. That showed her Kagome must be loyal to a fault, how did her son not notice this was exactly what he needed? His deep seeded fear was to fall in love and have someone hurt him as his father did to her. If that wasn’t enough to open her son’s eyes, Kagome sure helped them out.

Kagome gave them all the greatest gift imaginable. Kimiko couldn't have planned it better if she tried. Witnessing how Sesshomaru relaxed as the tiny butterfly played Kagome’s voice was a proud moment for her as a mother. Not only did it show he was starting to feel things for others, but his beast had accepted her as well.

If her plan and the butterfly weren’t enough, Shippo’s concerns about Kagome sending Inuyasha one was pure gold. Kimiko couldn’t remember the last time Sesshomaru moved that fast.

The threat of her speaking to his half-brother was enough for Sesshomaru to push down his pride and go to her spoke volumes. Once he left, Kimiko stayed with the children until it was time for bed. She made a point not to peek at her mirror until well after night fall. The Western Lady wanted to give them a chance to speak, or possibly make her grandpups, she hoped both.

When she saw him holding the little miko close as they both slept, she knew this was it. Sesshomaru would push her away come morning. The only way her son would ever consider giving a female a chance would be for his soul mate. If only the damn pup knew his soul mate was currently in his arms!

 _‘Arms? Did she heal his arm?’_ How could he truly believe she would be the same as all the others he’d met over his time when she saw him at his lowest point and helped him heal from it, literally.

Kimiko wasn’t about to let her son ruin his own life. Holding onto her meido stone, she whispered “it’s your turn, Mate.”

The only reason this would work was because Inu no Taisho hasn’t let go of his family to join his love in the afterlife. Since he was no longer living, this spell could only work once, if that. This spell takes an extraordinary amount of power to work the dream spell if both parties were alive. Having her mate go from the Under World would drain her energy to a dangerous level if they weren’t careful. Stepping away from her mirror, Kimiko double checked that her most trusted gaurds were outside the door to keep watch while she was unable to protect herself. Once she knew she was safe, Kimiko laid on her futon and closed her eyes. She whispered the spell while cutting her hand so her blood would touch the stone, awaking her late mate.

* * *

 

Inu no Taisho watched over his family whenever he could. The late Western Lord knew he only had one chance to choose what to do; he could wait for his lover in the afterlife or be able to watch over his sons from the Under World. It was difficult for him, knowing he’d never live again and once his sons passed, Inu no Tasisho wouldn’t be able to join them. It was a price he was willing to pay.

No one knew the second use of the Meido Stone. It was a way for Kimiko to communicate with him if she ever needed him. That’s how his mate was able to share her plan with him. It was perfect, in dreams he was quite strong so all Kimiko had to do was keep the gate open for him to work. It would take a tremendous amount of power and energy, but he knew Kimiko could do it. Now to pull his first born and this young miko into the spell...

His goal seemed simple; pull them into the same dream world where he’d be able to pull memories from each of them, then he could play them for both to watch. They would also feel a little of what the other person felt. If they could get this spell to work, then Sesshomaru would see and feel Kagome’s true feelings, hopes, and dreams. Hopefully, Kagome would see and feel a part of Sesshomaru that no one, including himself, had seen. It would also help to show her so Sesshomaru wouldn’t have to talk about it. The stakes were high, this was their only chance because after tonight, Sesshomaru would push the young woman away for good.

There was one small catch; the dream spell would only work if Kagome was Sesshomaru’s soul mate. Inu no Tasisho was starting to worry when he couldn’t reach the miko, it would have been helpful to know she was 500 years in the future.

Finally, he connected with her and slowly pulled her from her own little dream to the neutral area he needed her. Smiling from the Underworld, he went to work pulling his son out of his own dream world as well.

**Dream World**

When Kagome and Sesshomaru woke up they looked around to see where they were. It was easy to tell they were in the Western Lord’s bedroom. Well, Sesshomaru knew it was his and Kagome didn’t know for sure but felt confident it was his. There was a huge bed that took up most the room, with dark reds draped over it, armor was hanging on the wall and she had a breathtaking view of the Western lands from the window. 

Was she dreaming? Was he even here? Did he bring her home to see the kids? She was going to ask but he spoke first.

“Miko, what did you do?”

“Huh? You big jerk! Why is it when something goes wrong you blame me?” She questioned back with her hands on her hips, glaring at him the same way Rin was starting to do when she was angry.

He looked down at her and raised one eyebrow. “Need you ask?” There was a slight show of amusement in his eyes as he spoke.

“Why you-”

“Now this is entertainment. I see you have a way with females, my son.”

The bickering couple turned towards the now open door to see the late Inu no Taisho. Kagome was amazed, he was so handsome! She noticed he was slightly taller than Sesshomaru, which Kagome would enjoy brining up at a later date.

_‘How is this fair? He’s dead, he shouldn't be this good looking! Life is so unfair to us humans.’_

While Kagome was in her own world thinking about his father, Sesshomaru was pissed. The shock wore off quickly and anger took its place. He felt slightly guilty for accusing Kagome, but that was pushed aside due his father ruining his one night to enjoy with his miko before life got in the way.

“Father, what is it you are trying to accomplish here?”

“Um, Inu no Taisho-sama? I’m sorry, but how did you get us here? Oh! And it’s an honor to meet you!” Kagome dropped to a low bow to show her respect.

Sesshomaru glared at her when he heard what she said. How dare she take his side.

Inu no Taisho gave her a warm smile, he could already tell he was going to like his future daughter.

“It’s a pleasure to meet such a beauty! I can see why both my sons trust you.” Not only did his response piss his son off but it also completely ignored Sesshomaru.

“Do not dare suggest This Sesshomaru trusts this human.” He said through clenched teeth. Who did his father think he was? How dare he act as if they were close enough for him to voice his opinion on how Sesshomaru felt. He didn’t realize how much of a trigger his father was until now. His father took everything from him and now he was doing it again.

His beast was roaring to challenge the dead demon for the role of Alpha. He could finally win this battle and claim what was rightfully his.

“Don’t start taking your anger for me out on her. You’ve show you trust her by sleeping with her.” As he paused to see what his son would say, he noticed Kagome’s face turning crimson. He smiled kindly at her before speaking again to hopefully sooth her.

“Do not worry, I know nothing happened between you two on a sexual level. All I meant was inu demons only sleep with pack. There must be trust for us to put our guard down and show another our weakest time. Sesshomaru may not show it, but he does care for you-”

He was cut off by Sesshomaru’s growl. He knew he had to hurry, or he’d lose his chance to help them. That growl was not one of irritation, like Kagome thought it was. No, that growl that told other males to back away from his female. If his beast took over and challenged him to a fight, Inu no Taisho wouldn’t have enough energy left to cast the spell.

“Please calm down. I’m only here to help. You both need to share with the other one and discuss things that make you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t even be here if you two weren’t so damn stubborn and scared to get hurt so now I’m taking over. If you can’t open up, then I’ll help you see what is needed. Just trust me, please Sesshomaru.”

Wasting no time, Inu no Tasho finished the spell his mate started by cutting the palm of his hand. When the first drop hit the floor, both Kagome and Sesshomaru were sound asleep on his bed.

The late Lord smiled at his son and whispered, “please Son, take this time to look at what you’re going to lose if you don’t try to make this work. I’m sorry that my actions caused you and your mother so much pain, but I wouldn’t change it. Maybe one day you’ll understand.” He pressed a kiss to their foreheads to allow his power to work.

**Sesshomaru’s memory as a child, about 10 years old in human years**

Over the past few years things were changing in the Western Lands, and not for the better. His father was coming home less and less each year. When he was home, he didn’t spend much, if any, time with Sesshomaru. The young pup didn’t understand what he did. Sesshomaru trained every day, never played with other pups so he could study more, made sure to never show weakness, and always looked perfect to make his father proud of him. It didn’t seem to work though. Inu no Taisho wasn’t Sesshomaru’s concern at the moment though, his mother was. Typically, Kimiko would spend most her time with him. When they were out in public, she would hide her true feelings to appear cold and calculated, but with their pack she was herself. Sweet, motherly, fun, energetic and most importantly, happy.

Now his mother spent the majority of her time alone in her rooms. She would pretend to enjoy their time together, but he always knew something was wrong. He was going to speak to his father about it. As Alpha, it was his responsibility to care for his mate and pack.

Sesshomaru felt his father when he entered the castle grounds. He waited for his dad to come say hello after not seeing him for months, but after half an hour the young Lord in training realized his father wasn’t coming to see him; again. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Sesshomaru made his way towards his mother’s room, jaw clenched as he heard yelling coming from his mother’s room.

He assumed his parents would notice him waiting at the door but neither did, or if they did, they didn’t care. As he stood there, tears started stinging his eyes and his little claws broke the skin of his palms from clenching his hands so hard. Each word Sesshomaru overheard crushed his heart and soul.

“We are mates! There are no others!” His mother screamed while crying.

“You knew we mated for politics; you knew we did not love each other. I love _her,_ Kimiko. I understand you don’t want to hear this, but I do. I will take care of you and our son. He will be my heir and I know you will hate me but please, I care for you. I always will.

 _How could Father take another? They are mates! Mates are for life._ Sesshomaru thought completely devastated by the news.

 **Alpha is wrong.** The young beast knew the role of packs, even if he didn’t fully understand wanting another to share your life with.

“I will leave.”

Sesshomaru’s heart stopped when he heard his mother’s words. There was no way his father would let her leave, right? There was no way he could do this to his own family, his pack. Pack means everything! His father told him that himself.

“You will not take my son with you!” His father roared, scaring Sesshomaru.

“You think _our_ son will want anything to do with you, Taisho? The father who taught him about pack, about mates, and then you go back and undo everything! The demon who broke his mother’s heart! I won’t let you ruin him!” His mother cried.

“Ruin? I’d never let him mate for politics.” His father’s beast was starting to come out, the energy around him started to hurt the young pup hiding behind the door.

_Never mate?_

That was the last thought Sesshomaru had before everything went smoky and the scene changed.

**Sesshomaru’s memories from an early teenager in human years**

Sesshomaru had never been this nervous before. All the Lords of the lands, both major and minor Lords. They all wanted to get their single demons and demonesses mated. Normally, this meeting would happen in the East, but everyone wanted to see how the West was holding up. No one thought someone as young as Sesshomaru would be able to handle being a Lord on his own. His father had been gone a year already, making Sesshomaru the youngest Lord in history but he wasn’t stupid. Sesshomaru knew the other Lords wanted to use this event to make an alliance with the West by a mating. If the Lord mated someone who could control him, then they’d control the strongest of the four lands.

That’s how he met Lady Kiyoko, the oldest daughter of the Southern Lord. When she arrived late the night before, Sesshomaru took her for a tour. He couldn’t believe how beautiful and caring she was. He surprised himself at one point by asking her what she dreamed of in her future. Kikyoko’s answered him perfectly. She simply wanted a mate to care for her, mother pups, and to be happy.

That’s what the young Lord wanted. He wasn’t his father; he would be devoted to his mate and family. She was perfect, if only he could find her and offer his mating gift as a symbol of what was to come.

Spotting Yukio he made his way over to him to ask for help, “Yukio, where is Lady Kiyoko?” He tried to hide his smile but knew he was failing.

“Last I saw, she was heading out to the gardens. I believe she wanted some fresh air, my Lord. Were you able to get the necklace made in time?”

“Hn.” He left without another word, having the information he came for.

Sesshomaru strolled towards the gardens to find his possible future mate. He prayed Lady Kiyoko liked his mating gift he had made for her. It had cost a small fortune but was worth it to make her happy. That was his job as a mate, to care for and provide for his mate and pups.

A soft breeze carrying her scent led him to her. As Sesshomaru grew closer he noticed she wasn’t alone. It wasn’t a surprise she’d have her guard with her, but it still hurt him a little that she didn’t feel safe in his home. He was about to announce himself when his beast stopped him.

**Wait.**

Knowing his beast would never lead him wrong, he waited to see what would unfold. His smile long gone.

The guard laughed, pushing the Southern Lady to a tree.

“Kiyoko, I don’t want to lose you.”

Sesshomaru could see her hands running up and down the other male’s chest and abdomen.

“You won’t lose me, silly. I just need to mate Sesshomaru for political reasons. I’d never have a full mating with him and tie our souls together. All we have to do is rut enough for me to give him one pup and carry his mark. I’ll have my lover, which is you, while I’m sure he has many. Look at who is father was.”

They both laughed before their lips met in a heated kiss.

The young Lord made his way back towards his castle with his beast wining from his mental cage. He didn’t shed a single tear, he let the pain consume him to build those walls around his heart. He finally understood why Yukio and Yukiko didn’t approve of her. At the time he thought they had an issue with his age since he was younger than her but now, he knew it was just her they didn’t approve of and what did she mean by “not a full mating?” His father never spoke of different types of mates. Was that how he had a mate and a wife?

_Soul mates... The only time I’ve heard of that bond was when others spoke of my Grandsire. Is there no hope to find that? Am I doomed to end up as my Mother did? A shell of my former self?_

**Do not give up hope.**

 

Later that evening Sesshomaru was stuck in an endless conversation about “how amazing the East is” by the Eastern Lord and Lady when Kiyoko finally attempted to speak to him.

“Hello Lord Riku, Lady Niko. Would it be alright if I borrow Sesshomaru-sama for a moment?” She bowed her head in respect while she waited for their answer.

“Of course! You pups have fun.” Riku laughed while leading his mate towards the Southern Lord and Lady.

She latched on his arm, leading them towards the gardens. He tried not to cringe while he allowed her to drag him when all he wanted to do was call her out in front of everyone. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. He was better than that.

When they made it outside, he noticed her pulling him towards the same area she was with her guard. She couldn’t really be cold enough to bring him to the same spot she spent with her lover, could she?

Rage took over when she stopped at the same tree that she broke his heart at not even an hour ago.

“My Lord...” She purred as she pressed her body to his.

“I am not interested in anything you have to offer. Anything you may need from the West you will have your father contact me.” He started to turn and get away before he showed how hurt he was feeling, but she wasn’t going to let him.

“Sesshomaru-sama? What’s going on? I thought we had a connection.” If he hadn’t seen her with her lover, Sesshomaru would have believed Kiyoko’s words. Her voice sounded so innocent and truly confused. Then, she made the mistake to lay her hand on his arm.

“Do not touch my person again or you will lose your arm.” He sneered.

“Why? Talk to me!” Her true colors were starting to show. All she wanted was to become the Western Lady. This was her chance to get what she wanted, her chance to have even more power and never lift a finger again. Kiyoko wouldn’t let him take away her dreams! Not after sucking up to him all night and having her spies find out his likes and dislikes.

“Leave This One be.”

This was new, never before had he talked to her in the first person before. What was going?

“I thought we could speak to my father about me staying her after the event ends. With you.” She wanted to pull him to her, if she could get him to stop thinking than she’d be able to make him forget whatever was on his mind and agree with her idea.

“I will not take a mate. Ever. Do not be a fool.” He pulled away without looking back. He’d be damned if he gave her another chance.

This was the night Sesshomaru gave up on love and realized it was only an emotion that would hurt you. It was also the last night the West ever saw anything more than a cold ruler.

**Kagome’s Memory**

She was running towards the well, tears streaming down her face. Her chest hurt so much Kagome could barely breathe.

 _‘How could he? I’m letting her keep half my soul for him! Doesn’t he understand how much I love him?’_ It just wasn’t fair, Kagome spent a great day with Inuyasha, he even hugged her! Then, he left and still wasn’t back yet, so she went out to look for him. That’s when she saw Inuyasha in a passionate kiss with Kikyo.

Her feet were moving faster than she could see past her watery eyes. Kagome almost made it back to the well when her foot caught on a root. She cried out as her hands stopped her face from slamming into the ground. The poor woman had never felt so pathetic in her life. Not even bothering to get up, Kagome pulled her legs into her chest and cried her heart out all night.

No one came to find the broken woman that night. Kagome finally realized where she stood with Inuyasha, and it wasn’t something she was okay with.

**Kagome while visiting the West**

Kagome was sitting on her futon, writing in her journal when her maid for the day came in. She looked up with a smile to greet the demoness but paused when she saw the hate swimming in the green eyes looking back at her.

“I’ve seen how you look at our Lord. He will NEVER fall for you, many have tried and failed. You are nothing more than a worthless human whore. Whatever you did to get here, he’ll tire of you soon so keep your bags packed.” She sneered.

Completely blindsided, Kagome couldn’t believe someone would speak to her like that when they knew she was a guest. If Sesshomaru ever found out, she was sure the female in front of her wouldn’t be working in the West much longer.

“I’m not sure what you are talking about, but you don’t know me. If fact, you may be a fox demon, but I know you can smell my innocence. If I’m pure, then I can’t possibly be a whore.”

“You want him. Don’t try to hide it, we’ve all seen how you look at him-”

“Look, I’m not sure what you are up to but Sesshomaru can be with who he wants. It’s none of my business. You will leave my room and if you EVER speak to me or my son again, I will show you just how strong I am.” Kagome was fuming. This must have been the maid that told Shippo he didn’t belong here.

Kagome slammed the door to her room shut, unfortunately she pulled too hard and the door bounced back at her. Taking a breath to calm herself, she slowly closed the door. When she was alone, Kagome crawled into her bed. She was desperately trying not to cry. She had no reason to be upset.

_‘Of course, Sesshomaru would never want me. The bath incident was just a male reacting to a female.  I felt something but that doesn’t mean he would feel something too. Ugh! Once again, I’m hurt over a freaking inu demon... Why can’t I find love? Seriously, will anyone ever love me? What’s wrong with me?’_

**Kagome a week after their falling out**

It had been one long week since Kagome and Sesshomaru kissed, one week of wondering how things went from being so great to horrible within a minute. Today was the day Sesshomaru would see her, she didn’t think he would show up, but she still had hope. That’s why Kagome was determined to sit here, by the well, and wait.

“Sesshomaru, please come. Please. I’m so sorry, I was scared. I know that’s no excuse but please give me one more chance. I miss you, and I know I won’t see you again until we fight Naraku and that kills me. I have no idea when it happened, but sometime between you helping me to now I fell in love with you. My soul hurts when you aren’t here, you must feel something. I mean that kiss, not even you could deny there was something between us... Please come back.”

Kagome cried out the words to the magical well hoping he’d change his mind. Maybe the well would send him her thoughts, she knew it was impossible, but opening up did help her start to feel better. Letting her head fall back against the well, she sat there until she was calm and collected. It was time for lunch, he wasn’t going to come see her today. Taking a final look down the well, Kagome made her way back to the house. It was time to get back to work.

**Back in the Dream World**

Inu no Taisho noticed both slowly start to wake up. He knew his son would be pissed at him and things between Kagome and Sesshomaru would be awkward because they both saw and felt things neither wanted the other to know, but it had to be done if there was any hope for them. When both were up and sitting in bed, they quickly looked away from each other.

 _‘Kimiko, I am very happy to be dead. If I wasn’t, I’m sure I would be soon enough.’_ He felt his mate’s amusement through the bond they still shared.

Sesshomaru and Kagome were feeling two completely different emotions. Sesshomaru was livid, how dare his father come in and interfere with his life when it was him who caused all this! His father was the one who broke his family and left him alone at such a young age. Now he wants to help?

Kagome was horrified. How much pain had Sesshomaru been forced to endure by himself? Were all his childhood memories like that? Was his mother still alive? How could she leave her child behind? Did either of them have any hope to have a happy future? She couldn’t think more on this because her lover was up and ready for a fight.

“Why Father?” His hand was around his Alpha’s throat, daring him to give him a reason to sink his poison into his system. His father may be dead but that didn’t mean he couldn’t cause him some pain.

“I’m sorry, to both of you. I didn’t want to pry but there isn’t much time now. It takes a lot of energy and power to hold this dream spell and seeing as I’m already dead, it’s even more difficult. I choose a few moments in both of your pasts for you to see and truly understand what is in the other’s heart. You both fear so much. Please Son, don’t push her away.”

Sesshomaru was about to speak but his father cut him off, “I’m afraid I must leave but you two have a little time left. Use it, and good luck Miko Kagome, don’t let him push you away.”

With that Inu no Taisho faded away into nothingness.

Kagome looked to Sesshomaru but didn’t know what to say. Was there a chance he cared for her too? Maybe she could start with something easy? But what do you say after seeing your dead father?

Being Kagome, she went a completely random direction. “So... with you being here I’m guessing it’s safe to say my butterfly made it to the children.”

Why Sesshomaru was still surprised by the odd woman in front of him, he had no idea.

“Hn, where did you learn that?” He was even more interested when he noticed her face tint pink. Now his curiosity was peeked.

“Um... haha, well it’s a funny story. I kind of saw it on a tv show one night... It’s called Bleach.”

The Western Lord chuckled. He felt free in this world and having her see such personal moments in his life and not bombard him with questions about it proved to him, he could be himself with her.

Kagome was startled by the musical sound; she couldn’t help but gasp. When she met his eyes and saw the smile in them Kagome offered her brightest smile in return. She felt honored to see such a rare moment. Having him lower his walls was something she needed to see more often and probably something he needed too.

“Only you would try something from an odd box with people in it.”

Kagome laughed at his answer. She was starting to think there could be hope between them.

“Why pink? Blue is your favorite color.”

“You, you know my favorite color?” Disbelief showing through her words.

“Is there anything This Sesshomaru does not know?” He smirked at her, hoping she understood he was joking.

Kagome was truly happy, he seemed so different in this world, she didn’t want to leave if it meant he’d go back to his old ways. She had to have hope, for both. That and hope he didn’t get mad at her reason behind the pink butterfly.

“I um, well you see... I used pink because you can be such a jerk sometimes. Always commanding me like I work for you so I wanted to do something that would show you I control myself. No one else, well and my Mama but she’s scary when she’s angry.” She gave a nervous laugh while she waited for his response.

Sesshomaru allowed her to see him act childish, he rolled his eyes to the heavens at her answer. Of course, Kagome would find a way to do something small enough not to insult him in front of others but big enough to make her point. He was sure even if she did mate someone, they’d never control her and he liked that. If only she knew the power, she already held over him. Sesshomaru had a feeling even if she did, Kagome would never use it.

Maybe Kagome was truly different than the others. She was surprising him at every turn, was it possible this would be the same? Could she truly understand him and his needs? His beast seemed to believe in her.

“Sesshomaru, I know you won’t want to talk to me about it; everything you’ve been through, but please know that even if you don’t want to be with me, if you push me away when we wake up... Just know I’ll be here, for you. I want to be in your life, even if I can’t be in it the way I’d like.”

As her head dropped, clearly ashamed by her confession, Sesshomaru gently grabbed her chin with his clawed hand till she met his gaze. “How do you see yourself in This Sesshomaru’s life, Miko?”

He was able to see and feel her love for him, but would it be enough? Would Kagome want to be with him when it meant giving up so much? She would need to give up her human life to be with him and give up all the advances she grew up with in her time. Not only in technology, science, and over all knowledge but females were seemingly equal to males. Kagome would give all that plus her family. Sesshomaru would never ask that of her. It wouldn’t be fair, and she’d grow to resent him as time went by. The other concern was what he could offer her. As a lord, he could offer her the world, Kagome would never worry about her basic needs, but she was an emotional person. Even if he loved Kagome, Sesshomaru would never allow any emotions to show around others. She would need to submit to him in public and if she ever needed to be comforted it would need to wait until they had a free moment alone. The only good aspect with her was people already judged her and the young woman handled it well, unless it was Inuyasha. She would need to be educated in the ways of a Lady as well, but Sesshomaru was getting ahead of himself.

“I... I um, see you... well I see you as someone I could be with for the long haul. Oh! But don’t worry, I know you’d never be interested in someone like me.” Kagome looked down; she couldn’t understand why he was asking such things but after opening her heart to the Lord in front of her was terrifying. What would happen now? Was this going to be their last night? Would he really push her away when they woke up?

“Sesshomaru? Why are you-”

Why did you cry for This Sesshomaru?” He knew it was rude to interrupt her, but he needed these answers. As much as he loved their conversations, she would only add to the unknown by voicing every thought she had.

“Because I care. I’m sorry I asked and pushed at the well-”

Bright, blinding light started to surround them. Kagome panicked as she realized they were about to wake up. _‘Oh no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! This can’t be happening! We never got a chance to even start! Please, just a few more minutes before we wake up. Please!’_

Her frantic pleas weren’t answered as she opened her eyes. Kagome was still in Sesshomaru’s arms, but she had no idea how long that would last once he woke up. What was she supposed to do now? Kagome was terrified to face him. What if he left without finishing their conversation? What if he pushed her away, completely appalled by his actions in the dream world?

Suddenly, she felt him come to, his hold around her started to loosen. When she felt the shift between them her heart shattered. This was it; he would leave her.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome turned in his hold to face this head on. If he was going to leave her, she would do everything in her power to prove she was worth taking this risk.

The Western Lord slowly came to. The first thing that registered was the warm body being held flush to his body. Her normally calming scent was suffocating him. He must get away before these new feelings destroyed him.

When their eyes connected, her blue depths swirled with so many emotions it scared him. How could her’s shine with love while being clouded with fear? Kagome was too innocent, and she held too much power over him. All Sesshomaru desired at that moment was to hold her close to comfort her. He wanted to sooth her fears and tell her everything would be alright. As desperately as Sesshomaru wanted to comfort her, he couldn’t. This couldn't happen, he wouldn't let some “human” emotion control him. No, it was time to leave.

As he started to pull away, he realized he had an issue. His arm was under her head. This was difficult, he couldn’t just pull his arm away since it was supporting her head. No matter how much he was starting to panic, he wouldn’t risk hurting her. Slowly, so she would be ready to lift up her head, Sesshomaru pulled his arm back. However, it seemed to set Kagome in motion.

She moved with speed he didn’t know she possessed. Kagome rolled on top of him, straddling his hips while her hands were on his naked chest. Kagome seemed to think that would stop him from leaving. Her dark hair made the perfect curtain, blocking out the outside world. Sesshomaru was about to move her off him so he could leave when Kagome leaned down and pressed her soft lips to his in a heated kiss.

His beast didn’t let him over think though. Instead his beast was reacting to her lips. Sesshomaru didn’t know what to do. He had never been in this position before; not only was he in the submissive position but Kagome made the first move. Kagome was brave enough to do what he wanted to do all this time. She was pulling out all sorts of feelings he wasn’t ready to deal with.

**Either you step up or I will. We will NOT leave her again.**

Sesshomaru had to agree with his beast. When their lips touched, they both felt fire in their blood. Kagome started pushing her lips harder against his lips, slowly pressing her hips into his. His erection was throbbing, it was too much. Unable to handle any more, he grabbed her hips and flipped them over with the use of his demon speed. Kagome didn’t even realize they moved until he was hitting all the right spots was, he thrusted his clothed hips against her now wet panties.

He wasn’t sure what they were doing or where this would go, but they both knew one thing for sure. Whatever was going to happen, it was meant to be.

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! Sorry about the wait, I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Fifteen Rewritten**

When Kagome’s back hit the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Kagome wasn’t sure what was going on, but her body wanted more. She couldn’t come up with a reason to stop. If they only had one night together then she wanted to enjoy it. Whatever he was willing to give her, Kagome was going to take.

Once Sesshomaru felt Kagome’s arms wrap around him, pressing her hardly covered breasts to his chest, his body took over. He didn’t need any further encouragement to move forward. Sesshomaru pushed his lips harder against her’s, taking her bottom lip into his mouth and gently biting down until his fang cut her. He quickly licked the blood away, soothing her lip while feeding his beat’s blood lust.

Her blood was full of power, power neither of them knew she possessed. Sesshomaru pushed that thought aside to focus on the woman who now had her legs wrapped around his waist. The animalistic side of him took over, pushing forward so his member was rubbing her core in just the right spot while his tongue was mimicking the motions his hips made. Her moans caused a low growl, he feared it would pull her from her lust filled state, but her arousal to spike.

While he was concerned about her reaction to him, Kagome was in heaven. She couldn’t stop the moans that passed her lips, feeling him and what she managed to do to him was over whelming. She turned him on, she caused him to fall into this lustful state. Then, when she thought things couldn’t get any better, he growled. When she heard his growl and felt it vibrate on her breasts it pushed her into a state of need. Kagome desperately wanted to pull that sound from him again. She knew Sesshomaru was an Alpha and would want to be the dominant one, so Kagome decided to step it up a notch. She started battling his tongue.

Kagome quickly slipped her tongue into his mouth, letting it run over his sharp fangs. The dangerous canines in his mouth sent a shiver down her spine. It didn’t take long for Sesshomaru to win their tongue battle; she knew he wouldn’t let her be the dominate one. Kagome was hoping he’d let loose a little and maybe his beast would even come out. While the Western Lord may have won the battle, he hadn’t won the war.

Making sure Sesshomaru was still distracted with her mouth, Kagome deliberately bend one leg and thrusted her core on his manhood causing him to pause mid kiss to grown out his pleasure and possibly surprise. Looking at her with half lidded eyes, Sesshomaru smiled down to his prey. If she wanted to play, he’d gladly accept the challenge.

He used his new arm to support himself, to avoid crushing the little miko, while he let his other hand run softly up her leg. He watched her chest rise and fall faster once his hand made contact with her bare stomach. She was clearly enjoying his treatment of her body, however he paused when he reached the knot holding her sexy little kimono together. Knowing she was nervous, Sesshomaru gave her a slow, loving kiss before pulling back; silently asking permission to continue. He was positive it’d kill him to stop now but she was worth the wait.

Kagome wanted to cry she was so happy. As a Lord in the Feudal Era he had every right to keep going without hesitating. That gesture showed her how much he cared, even if he didn’t voice it. Kagome nodded her head feeling loved and treasured for the first time in her life.

Grateful Kagome didn’t stop him from continuing and  honored she’d give him this precious  gift, Sesshomaru leaned in for another heated kiss while he undid the knot holding her kimono together. As it opened, he kept kissing her while he moved the sides open.

Pulling back to look at her his beast spoke up, **Gorgeous, she is perfect.**

_Agreed._

Sesshomaru could easily see her nerves getting the better of her as he stared down at the newly bare skin, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Her heaving mounds were barely hidden by pink fabric. Looking lower he saw her toned stomach and more of the odd, yet incredibly sexy, pink fabric that hid his prize from his gaze. It fit her like a second skin, or possibly a gift wrapped for him to open.

“Kami, you’re gorgeous.” His husky lust filled voice all but purred down to her.

He met her gaze and noticed a slight blush coving the bridge of her nose. How she managed to look so incredibly sexy yet innocent at the same time was beyond him; but damn if it didn’t turn him on more.

Giving Kagome one last chance to back away, Sesshomaru paused right before their lips touched. A second later Kagome met him in a sweet and slow kiss that quickly changed when his deadly hand grabbed one trapped mound. As he started to become more aggressive with her Sesshomaru feared it would be too much for her human body. That thought was quickly thrown out the window as the sounds coming from her were growing in volume with the more pressure, he used to squeeze her breast. He nipped her bottom lip causing her arousal to spike.

 **Take her! She was made for us.** His beast demanded while thrashing against his mental cage.

Pushing his beast to the back of his mind, Sesshomaru pulled Kagome up so the kimono could slide off her smooth arms. Once that was done Kagome sat in his lap, straddling him again as she pushed her chest to his while rubbing his member with her core. He growled at her as she started to slowly work his member. If she didn’t stop soon, they’d end up mated by the end of the night.

He pulled away from the kiss and told her, “if you wish to keep this article of clothing (he then pulled at the strap of her bra) you will remove them or This One will do so for you.”

She leaned into his neck, biting and sucking her way along his neck while she unhooked her bra. Once the hook gave, she felt the straps start to fall down her arms. Kagome was getting a little shy, so she held her bra up to cover herself as the straps were sitting at her elbows.

“Why do you hide yourself from This Sesshomaru Ka-go-me?” He whispered into her ear in between nibbles. It was foolish for her to be frightened; she was perfect in his eyes.

How could he turn her on just by talking to her? Kagome tried to get her breathing under control so she could speak. She knew she could make something up but what kind of relationship would this be if she wasn’t willing to be vulnerable in front of him? No, she would be honest. Hopefully he’d understand.

“I’m scared.”

The Western Lord didn’t like her answer, nor did he like when she looked down to their laps, hiding her eyes with her hair. He grabbed her chin, so she was looking into her eyes. He took a deep breath and let his mask slip. Kagome was stunned to see him look so relaxed. He was showing her all his emotions; nervous, excited, and dare she hope love? Feeling comforted by his show of vulnerability, she slowly moved her arms away from her boobs to slide the bra off. When it was full off and she was completely exposed to him from the waist up she look back at him, determined to keep her hands to her sides and not cover herself. He wasn’t helping, he was just staring at her, was that a good or bad thing? Kagome had no idea what to think, but hopefully he’d do something, anything to take away this fear.

While she was trying to stay cool, Sesshomaru was trying very hard to look at her face, but once the bra fell, he couldn’t help but look at her chest. He was 20 years old (in human years)! What male wouldn’t look? They were perfect, big enough from him to hold in his hand but not too big. Her rose colored nipples were already hardening from the cool air. It took all Sesshomaru’s control to stop himself from latch onto them one at a time and suckle on them like a newly born pup. Gradually he was able to tear his eyes away to meet her worried blue ones. He gave her what he hoped was a gentle, reassuring kiss.

“You may tell me to stop at any time, Kagome.” Sesshomaru needed Kagome to know she was safe with him. He also dropped his formal speech for her, no matter what happened Kagome was now pack.

“I know; thank you, Sesshomaru.”

Sesshomaru gently laid her back down on the bed so he could get back to worshipping her lethal little body. He gave her one last kiss before moving towards the side, latching onto her rapidly beating pulse on her neck. He scrapped his teeth on his skin before sucking hard enough to leave a mark. It might not have been his mating mark, but it was enough for now. It would still let others know Kagome was his. Sesshomaru’s beast urged him to move lower, to give her enough pleasure to forget about anyone but him. If she ever wanted pleasure, she’d only want his body. Sesshomaru knew it was stupid, but part of him feared Kagome would fall for Inuyasha again.

Focusing on the woman beneath him, he noticed her breaths were becoming more labored the lower his mouth traveled. Sesshomaru kissed his way to the middle of her breasts and slowly started working his way over to her right nipple. He smirked when he felt her hands leave the bed sheet to thread through his hair. This was what he wanted, all her pleasure.

He teased her a bit and kissed around her nipple as she started to wiggle, he could almost see her desire building with each kiss. Not being able to wait any longer, Sesshomaru kissed the tip of her nipple before sucking it into his mouth, swirling his tounge around it. The noises she was making were driving him mad. Her moans of pleasure were music to his ears, driving him wild without touching his body. 

Kagome grabbed his hair to hold him in place once he sucked her nipple into his mouth. _Is this what I’ve been missing?! No wonder everyone hooks up at school._ She thought as he sucked more while his clawed hand carefully started to pull on her neglected nipple.

She could feel her need building in her lower stomach. Kagome was starting to feel the coil wind up more and more. Tired of being the only one enjoying themselves, Kagome moved her hands from his hair to his back, making sure to dig her nails into his perfect skin as she clawed at him. The growl that answered passed over her sensitive nipple caused her to moan even louder.  He quickly switched sides in order to care for the other nipple in the same way he did before while he hand took over where his mouth left off.

Once she had her hands low enough, she slowly started to move them forward till they were on his lower abs. She gave him a small push to make a small gap between them. He looked at her in confusion at being pushed away, but quickly changed to lust as her hand grabbed his length through his hakamas. He wasn’t expecting her to touch him and he was okay with that. All Sesshomaru wanted was the chance to please his female, but he’d never stop her from doing anything to his body.

Kagome slowly slid her hands up and down his length and felt it twitch. She gasped, concerned she may have hurt him. She looked up to his face, pleading to any God who’d listen that she didn’t hurt him. How messed up would that be? She is getting her one night with the demon she loves, and she hurts him. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were closed, this could be good or bad. He wasn’t moving so she decided to try again. Moving her hand up again to the tip while experimenting by squeezing him his eyes popped open. Crimson eyes stared down at her with want clearly written in them.

His beast was attempting to fight him for dominance, Sesshomaru wouldn’t be able to fight his beast while trying to keep Kagome pleased.

_We can share if we do not mate her._

**Agreed.** His beast would agree to anything at this point if it offered him the chance to please their miko together.

Fully merged, Sesshomaru kissed Kagome deeply, pushing his tongue into her mouth while his hands traveled down to her panties, he started to pull them down her hips when she lifted her body to help him. The feel of her bare legs as he dragged the flimsy fabric down her creamy legs was pure torture. Sesshomaru almost used his acid to be done with it but knew it’d upset her. Once he had them past her small feet, he threw them behind him with extra effort, clearly upset about the damn things getting in his way.

He pulled back and surprised the Hell out of not only Kagome but himself by rubbing his nose against her own. She giggled at him, but that didn’t last when he leveled her with open mouth kisses down her neck, giving each nipple a quick kiss before continuing down her toned stomach.

Each kiss had Kagome gasping for air, she had her fingers tangled painfully into his silver hair. Unsure if she was pulling him closer or stopping him from going further down. When he reached her belly button Kagome knew what would happen next. She was starting to panic, what if he didn’t like how she tasted? What if he thought she was gross?

Pulling on his hair, Kagome panted, “Sess- Kami, Sesshomaru stop.” Could her body even handle any more?

“Kami is a little much, Miko. I’ll accept My Lord,” he purred while smirking into her pelvis.

If he wasn’t showering her body with pleasure, that cocky comment would have earned himself a slap on the arm or possibly a witty comeback. Luckily, for both, Sesshomaru was currently blowing her mind with the thrill of being touched for the first time.

The young Lord kissed down her pelvis, being hit with the full force of her arousal had his mouth watering. Sesshomaru desperately wanted to bury his face in her most intimate place but waited. She was starting to plead to him to keep going and offer her some much-needed relief.

“Please Sesshomaru, don’t tease me.”

He looked at her, thrashing her head with eyes closed tight. He wanted to chuckle, but her growl of annoyance caused him to continue on. He finally had his answer; the only reason he’d need to stop enjoying her body would be from her saying so. He had the final green light and was ready. Ignoring her heaving mounds, Sesshomaru finally tasted her in one quick lick of her folds.

Kagome threw her head back, crying out as her hips bucked to meet his mouth. _‘Holy shit.’_

He responded to her thrusting hips by securing them to the bed with one arm, locking her in place. Now he could really explore. Starting slowly Sesshomaru parted her flower with his fingers, being mindful of his claws, before diving back in with his mouth. Sesshomaru mapped out every area his tongue could reach. Her sweet honey was addicting, him and his beast both agreed they'd never get enough of it. He had to make sure she enjoyed it because there was no way he’d let her go a full week without being between her legs again.

Needing more room, Sesshomaru moved his arm from her waist to push her legs apart farther so he could get a better angle. Pushing his tongue as far as he could inside her while watching her thrash around, he decided he wanted to see her as she fell apart.

As he spoke, his command was so lust filled even he didn’t recognize the sound of his own voice, “Kagome, look at me. Watch me please you.”

Kagome shuddered at his words, clearly turned on by his demand. As difficult as it was, she kept her eyes locked on his golden/red eyes while he started to work his tongue inside her. His next words sent a vibration through her little bundle of nerves, “Tell me what you like. Tell me what you want.”

“More. Please Sess, you don’t need to act like you need my guidance. I know you have done this before.” He was older and many women, no matter what species, wanted him. He could have anyone he wanted. That was part of her problem. How do you please someone when you have no experience and he had years of pleasure under his belt?

Sesshomaru sensed the turn in her mood and stopped. They wouldn’t move forward until they cleared the air.

“Kagome.” He completely removed himself from her body showing how serious this was to him.

“This Sesshomaru has never given into physical urges. It is a weakness; you saw what happened with the Lady of the South. I am only 20 in human years. You yourself are untouched yet our ages aren’t that different.”  He wasn’t going to say more, he couldn’t understand why he told her such a personal fact, but her reaction told him everything; it was the right choice.

Sapphire eyes went wide. He saw her emotions filter through those eyes, there was uncertainty. She was questioning if what he said was true, letting his eyes show the fear he hides away the confusion went away, tears taking their place.

He didn’t want her to cry, never cry. Especially not from or for him. Sesshomaru came up to kiss her cheek, unsure how she’d feel about kissing him after what he was doing. He nuzzled into her neck while asking if she’d help him.

“Will you tell me what you want?” The way he hid his face in her neck spoke volumes, “help me please you.”

“Yes.” It was almost a sob, but she managed to hold it together. She quickly grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

Offering a slight smile, Sesshomaru took the same path down her body that he did earlier, leaving open mouth kisses as he went. The closer he got to her belly button the stronger her intoxicating scent was, causing his irises to turn torques. While they were merged, Sesshomaru’s beast took the driver’s seat. This was a turning point and he’d be damned if they gave their little miko any reason to choose another male.

He lifted both her legs over his shoulders and dove in, thrusting his tongue deep inside without any warning. The beast knew she was loyal, but he still needed to prove himself as a male, as an Alpha. Sesshomaru needed to make sure her body belonged to him, as his belonged to her.

“Sesshomaru! Yes, Kami yes!” Her voice was becoming raspy from shouting out her pleasure.

“Faster, please.” She was begging him the higher he drove her need for release.

His thrusting tongue sped up before completely pulling out to suck on the little bundle of nerves. Her hands tangled into his silver locks pulling to the point of pain.

“Ah! I’m so close! I’m almost there!” Kagome wanted to cry. She was right at the tip of the cliff but couldn’t fall. Something was holding her back.

Thinking fast, Sesshomaru used his left hand to cut the claws off his right hand, then he double checked he didn’t leave any sharp edges that could hurt her. As he pushed two fingers into her warm center, it took all his control to not mate her. She was so damn tight.

**Fuck.**

_Do not mate. Only please her._

Sesshomaru was a little worried about hurting her so he went slow and easy with his fingers while sucking lightly on her clit. His erection was throbbing against the bed, but he didn’t mind. All he wanted was to satisfy her.

“Harder, I won’t break.” Kagome demanded in a playful manner.

Following her demand, he started thrusting his fingers faster and harder while playing with her sensitive spot with his mouth. Smirking, he added another finger while playing with her sensitive spot with his mouth. He could tell Kagome was getting close when her legs started to squeeze around his head. He spread his fingers a bit while giving her one last hard suck before she exploded around him. He pulled out his fingers and quickly lapped up all her sweet juices. Once he was done and cleaned up Sesshomaru cleaned off his fingers, enjoying his hard work. Sucking the last of her release off him he spotted her giving him a strange look.

As Kagome started to come back to reality, she saw him sucking his fingers clean. Before, Kagome thought such an act would be gross, but it seemed to turn her on.

Kagome would never forget the sight Sesshomaru made crawling up the bed towards her. She was curious to see what he’d do now. Kagome watched him lay beside her, one arm behind his head and the other lifted for her to come closer and lay with him while they slept. Once she was laying comfortably with her head on his chest and her hand resting on his chest, she decided to enjoy the moment by moving her hand around his chest. A low purr could be heard in the silent room. Kagome couldn’t stop giggling, even if she wanted to. It was just so cute!

Unaware he was purring, Sesshomaru wanted to know what caused that reaction from her, “something funny to you, Miko?”

He turned to peer down at her when Kagome turned her head to look at him. “You’re purring, it’s so cute!” She responded with a smile.

Sesshomaru scoffed, “This Sesshomaru is not cute.” The last word was spoken like a curse. How dare she call him, a powerful Lord, “cute.” When she lifted her face up towards his, Sesshomaru gave her a look that screamed “you better think about what you’re about to do.”

Eyes shining with mischief, Kagome leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips. He was disappointed when Kagome pulled away after a small peck. Sesshomaru didn’t have long to dwell on his pity because she was actively moving.

All he could see from his viewpoint was her dark hair moving on his chest and the feel of light kisses on his chest. The touches were innocent enough, so he allowed her to continue. He would be able to hold his beast in check while giving her a chance to explore a bit. That was until she started leveling his chest and neck with open mouth kisses. Then, she licked his neck just like an inu yokai would. He quickly moved to grab her upper arms to stop her. What was his little miko up to? Didn’t she realize how close he was to losing control?

“Kagome, what are you doing?” His jaw was clenched, the hold on her arms was a bit tighter than normal.

Normally, her smile would soothe him. This time it didn’t, her smile had the opposite effect on him. She pushed slightly on his hold, which he allowed, and leaned down to kiss him in a slow, reassuring kiss. Pulling back, Kagome leaned to his side and sucked on the tip of his ear.

“Kagome.” He groaned in both pleasure and warning.

_What is she doing?!_

**Do not let her stop!** His beast demanded.

“Why my Lord, I’m going to please you.” She purred into his ear.

 _Fuck._ What happened to the Kagome he knew? This sex kitten was a welcome surprise, but did she truly want this?

“M-Miko.” He couldn’t speak with the attention she was giving his neck. How had she found his weakness so quickly?

Kagome didn’t stop at his neck, she moved lower to his chest before leaving her mark on him. The kisses and bites were soon joined with her nails raking down his chest and abs.

She was causing his blood to boil, eyes going completely crimson, and his beast fighting harder than he ever had to take control. Sesshomaru had to make her stop before they did something she would regret.

“Kagome, you must stop.”

Kagome was touched he was so concerned about her wants and needs, but it was killing her game. “No, I know you’re afraid of um.. Having sex, since I’m not ready yet, but...”

She paused to return to her trail of kisses down his sexy abs, but stopped at his pants to continue her sentence, “I want to please you, just as you did me. Don’t worry about your beast taking over I trust him. Isn’t he you? Or at least a part of you? Relax, just enjoy.”

If he truly wanted her to stop Kagome would respect that; however, it seemed he was worried about pushing her too far not him being pushed too far. She gently pulled on the hem of his hakamas to see how he’d react.

Sesshomaru couldn’t believe this was happening, what could he have possibly done to deserve this? Whatever it was he was determined to find out so he could do it more often. Lifting his hips to aid Kagome in her actions, The Western Lord waited, for what felt like an eternity to see what she’d do next. It appeared she was taking in his body the same way he did when her body was displayed for him.

As Kagome saw Sesshomaru’s body exposed to her inch by sexy inch she wouldn’t believe her eyes. He had the body of a Kami! If she saw him first there would be no way he would have seen her naked. Eyes burning a trail down his body, they widened upon seeing his erection. He was huge! When her eyes connected with his, she noticed his golden reddish ones were swirling with nerves. _‘Does he really believe there is something to fear? That just won’t do.’_

Pushing her fears aside, Kagome ran her hands up his lean thighs. Thankfully her friends were always sharing stories, so Kagome had a general idea of what to do.

While the young miko was gently running her hands up his legs, Sesshomaru realized Kagome would be the death of him. After she ran her hands up his legs a few times, her delicate fingers tentatively brushed along his member. He growled wanting her to continue while his beast chanted “more.” He knew she was just exploring so he’d have to finish himself later. No matter how much he desired her hand to work him until he found sweet release. No, he’d allow her to torcher him if it made her more comfortable.

His mind froze when those same delicate fingers went from light touches to grabbing him at his base with a slight squeeze. He quickly raised himself up by his forearms to watch what she was doing. There was no way she was going to make his wish come true, was there?

Using his previous words against him, Kagome calmly asked a favor. “Let me know what you like, okay?”

“H-hn.” Kagome’s voice sounded alluring to his mind. Clearly, she wasn’t as naïve as he once thought.

Kagome paused when he stuttered, but quickly continued. Nothing would ever make her feel as powerful as she did in this moment. Sesshomaru, The Western Lord, most powerful demon alive, stuttered because of her. Looking back down at his member she saw a drop of precum leaking out. Kagome had to know what it would taste like, so she went for it. Moving fast so he wouldn’t try to stop her, Kagome lowered her head while keeping eye contact with him. She then let her little pink tongue come out and licked the tip.

“Kamis!” Sesshomaru shouted as his head fell backwards.

Knowing Sesshomaru was enjoying her actions, Kagome decided to step it up a notch. Careful of her teeth, Kagome took the tip of him into her mouth. His response sounded vagally familiar to a groaned version of her name as his hands left the smooth sheets on her bed to tangle into her dark locks. As she took more of him in, Sesshomaru started to roughly pull her hair. She liked it; the small action sent a thrill through her body giving her the extra boost she needed to continue.

Slowly Kagome started to bob her head up and down while taking more of him in her mouth each time, using her hand to work any part of him that didn’t fit. Building confidence, Kagome started to speed up her movements with each pull of her hair. Remembering something her friend told her, Kagome moved her other hand to gently grab his sack while continuing to work her mouth over him.

Sesshomaru’s loud, sharp bark startled her. Completely stopping, she looked up at him, terrified she might have hurt him. His eyes snapped open when she stopped moving.

Trying to focus, he saw the fear in her eyes and moved a hand from her hair to her face. “Kagome do not stop. Please.”

She smiled, clearly misunderstanding what that sound was and went back to work pleasing him. Kagome could tell Sesshomaru was getting close when his hips started to meet her mouth, lifting off the bed. Both hands gripped her hair tighter, almost causing pain while his moans were growing louder.

“Faster.”

She met his command with sharper movements, squeezing a little harder as her mouth quickened it’s pace. She fit as much of him as she could in his mouth then sucked until he roared out his release.

Swallowing quickly, Kagome moved back up to her original spot by his side to rest. Gently running her hand up and down his chest in a soothing manner.

While she was enjoying the peace, Sesshomaru was in a daze. The little human woman beside him had turned him into jelly. His mind was at peace, something that never happened, and his beast was purring in his mind. Lord Sesshomaru was ready for some rest, fully at ease. Sesshomaru nuzzled the top of her head, smiling when he heard her sigh. She snuggled up closer to him.

Sesshomaru reached down and pulled up the blankets over their naked forms. While he may not get cold, he wasn’t willing to risk her becoming sick.

Feeling loved by his small act of kindness, Kagome kissed his chest then whispered a quiet “Goodnight Sess” before closing her eyes.

“Goodnight.” He waited to speak until he knew his miko was asleep. Closing his eyes, Sesshomaru sent out a quick mental note to his father, _do not dare wake us again._

* * *

 

The next morning Sesshomaru woke up with Kagome still laying on her side, using his arm and chest as a pillow. One arm was squished between them while the other was resting on his stomach, where his hand laid on top of hers. He let a small smile grace his lips as he relived how amazing last night was. She stood her ground with him and pushed him outside his comfort zone. Pleasuring her was such a gift. The sounds she made, and her taste alone would haunt him till the day he died.  Then she flipped the tables and returned the favor by giving him the sweet release he’d been dreaming of since their incident in the baths.

The only issue he had was his beast. He was thrilled Kagome showed him such gifts but wanted more. His beast wanted to mate her, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember why they couldn’t. No, Sesshomaru would not allow it to happen. Kagome had to finish her goals first. She was a strong, brave woman who deserved the chance to explore the world, both the past and future. She needed to finish her schooling, complete the jewel and defeat Naraku, and if all that happened, and she was still interested in him Kagome would need to join him at the Western castle to train in the ways of being a Lady. Once all that was done, she’d need to meet the other Lords and Ladies to see how she handled it. It would be the polar opposite of her current life and he’d never push her into mating him. If Kagome wanted to walk away, he’d let her.

**You fear her.**

_Do not be absurd, This One does not fear her._

**You fear being hurt. Mate would never hurt us.**

_The Miko is not our mate. Do not speak as though she is._

**Think over last night.** That was the last piece of advice his beast offered before fading out of his thoughts.

His beast had a point; from the dream spell his father put them under Sesshomaru knew Kagome loved him. Thankfully she hadn’t said it yet. He wouldn’t be able to return the words and knew it would hurt her. The Western Lord wasn’t ready to offer that part of himself. There was no guarantee she’d stick around, even if they mated. She could become tired of his life and seek another. It was safer to keep part of himself locked away.

Sesshomaru was pulled out of his thoughts when Kagome started to stir. Her heart rate picked up and she started to move around a bit, clearly trying to fight waking up. Sesshomaru waited to see what she would do when she awoke. Hopefully she didn’t regret last night.

Slowly waking up, Kagome noticed Sesshomaru was still holding her close. Part of her was a little worried he’d leave while she was asleep. Having him hold her close after such a wonderful night. Kagome sighed and hugged him the best she could from the position she was in. His arms wrapped around her body, hugging her back causing her stomach to fill with butterflies.

She knew he would have to leave today; he had the West to run and both their kids to take care of. It didn’t mean she liked the thought of him leaving her behind. What really scared her was what would happen when he went home, what if he panicked and pushed her away? Looking up at him she saw a small smile on his face.

He wouldn’t panic, and if he did want to leave her, he’d tell her himself. Feeling more secure, Kagome gave him a loving smile before leaning forward to kiss him gently on the lips.

“Morning, Miko.” He purred as she pulled away from him.

“Mornin’ Sess.” She nuzzled her nose against his, remembering how he did that last night.

“Sess?” He raised an eloquent eyebrow at her.

“It’s not my fault your name is so long.” Kagome stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner after giggling at him. She didn’t want this to end, being alone with him was perfect, but it was time to get up though, more for him than her. Kagome could lay in bed for the rest of the day with him but Sesshomaru had duties he needed to get back to.

The only thing left to do was ask a question that terrified her. How could she ask if last night was a onetime thing and risk her heart shattering? What if there was no hope for them? He did stay the night which had to mean something...

It was obvious Kagome was horrible at hiding her emotions because Sesshomaru was the first to ask a question.  “Kagome, look at me.” He waited for her to look at him before he continued, “why are you so scared?” He wanted to ease her worries but if she wasn’t honest with him there was no way for him to sooth her fears.

“I just... I don’t know.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m just, I’m scared. I hope you don’t think less of me. I know you originally thought I was a whore, but I’m not. I’ve never done anything like this before and I only did it now because-”

Sesshomaru quickly stopped her with an Earth-shattering kiss. He knew she was innocent and knew what Kagome was about to say. It was what he feared, hurting her by not being able to say those words in return. There was a deep seeded fear she could decide it was all too much. Kagome could make a selfish wish by mistake or possibly unable to take the pressure of being the jewel’s keeper. He could handle both of those situations, but the real cause for his uneasiness was the thought of his miko forgiving Inuyasha and going back to his half-brother. Sesshomaru wasn’t sure if he could handle his sweet little Kagome ending up like everyone else. It was better for everyone if the young Lord didn’t offer his heart to anyone; besides, it wasn’t something anyone would want. At least in his mind.

It wasn’t just him he had to worry about. Kagome was young and this time apart would be good for them. They both needs some time apart to think and decide what would happen next if everything went well. Sesshomaru truly didn’t want to wait a full month to see her again but he knew if he came back and her family was home it wouldn’t be enough to hold back. While he didn’t have experience with other’s parents, he thought it was a fair guess Kagome wouldn’t be thrilled if her mother walked in on his face between her legs.

Finally pulling back, Kagome gave him a playful response. “You know, you can’t always kiss me just to shut me up.”

“Hn. Kagome-”

“Why are you calling me that?” What was the change that would make him call her by her name?

“This Sesshomaru was under the impression that was your name.” He carefully kept his cold mask in place but chuckled internally when he smelled her irritation.

“You know what I mean, Jerk.” Forgetting she was completely naked; Kagome crossed her arms attempting to seem irritated.

Trying to ignore the way her breasts were now pushed forward, Sesshomaru spoke with an alluring tone of voice to set the mood. “Have you not been calling This One without my title for years? After last night (he ran his hand down her body and watched her shudder) I figured we were on a first name basis.”

As she smiled up at him, Sesshomaru realized how content he was. He would need to be cautious, Sesshomaru couldn’t allow it to show. It would be incredibly easy to connect the dots. Once he returned to the West, Sesshomaru would need to make sure he never called her by her name in public. It would lead to Kagome being attacked or possibly challenged by other demoness for the right to mate him.

Peering out the window Sesshomaru noticed the sun was higher than he wanted it to be when he left. He needed to get going and get back soon. While he knew his mother was more than capable of ruling the West, his concerns were about her invading his personal space.

_‘She better not have touched anything.’_

Allowing his mask to fall back into place, Sesshomaru stated what his plan was and started to get up to dress for the day. “This One must leave.”

Kagome was able to notice the shift in him before he spoke so she stood to find her clothes. She hoped he wasn’t watching her look around since Kagome was still shy for some unknown reason. When she finally finished tying the knot around her black kimono, Kagome turned to see her favorite Lord watching her. Same blank face that somehow held a little warmth to it.

“I’m ready.” She announced as he led the way towards the well. When he left the room, Kagome quickly grabbed her red scarf and put it in to her pocket.

The walk through the house, across the yard, and in the well house was done in silence. Both stuck in their own heads wishing they had more time and not ready to say goodbye. Kagome was nervous, did she try to stop him so she could say goodbye? Did she let him leave without a word?

It appeared she didn’t have to stress about since Sesshomaru paused at the well.

While Kagome was worried about how to stop him from jumping into the past without a word, Sesshomaru was trying to calm his beast. They wouldn’t be able to see her for a while, there would be no more touching, smell, or even seeing her. After last night he wasn’t sure how that would work, but he wasn’t going to leave her without a kiss. He pulled her close, mindful of his spikes, and kissed her. He kissed her with all the feelings he had but couldn’t voice. Each move of his lips pushed more of his love and need to her. He was attempting to ask Kagome to wait for him and come back to him without using words.

Kagome was stunned for a moment when he kissed her, but quickly caught on. She gave him as much as he was giving her. Pulling his hair while she begged him to not give up hope. To give them a chance without words. When he pulled back, resting his forehead on hers, Kagome smiled at the look he was giving her. It held such passion and gave her hope to be a better person, so he’d see she was worth it.

“Kagome, This Sesshomaru will come back for you in one month. Then, you can see the children.  This will give you time to train before returning.” He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent. Sesshomaru was going to miss it and her too much, he could already tell.

 **Do not leave mate.** His beast didn’t like this idea of “trust” or “thinking” since she wasn’t the problem. It was other males coming to take what was theirs.

_We will be back for her. She needs time to see if she wants us._

**Take her! She wanted us last night.**

_Silence._ He understood where his beast was coming from, but his beast wasn’t going to listen to reason. Sesshomaru needed to stay strong; every moment spent with his miko drove his instincts into overdrive. All he wanted to do was bend her over the well and mate her. Once they were mated, he’d be able to claim her and scare away other males that might be interested in his Kagome.

Maybe one more explanation would help sooth his beast. Sesshomaru would walk through why they had to wait one more time, it would be horrible if they mated now.

_If we mate with her before she is ready it will ruin everything you want. The only way This One would ever mate would be for a soul mate. If her mind, body, and soul are not completely ours then our souls won’t bind together, and our mating would end up just like the rest of them. Do you wish to see her with another after having her?_

**No one will dare touch what is ours!** His beast couldn’t believe he’d say such a thing. Anyone who touched her would die.

With luck, his beast would let him get some work done once they entered the West again. Sesshomaru couldn’t be upset since it wasn’t his beast’s fault. Once a beast finds a mate there are no others. He was Kagome’s until one of them died. The young Lord wasn’t ready to admit it yet, but he was hoping to get his mate in the end. If she didn’t want him, he hoped for his half-brother's life that Kagome didn’t go back to him. Sesshomaru would kill Inuyasha if he lost Kagome to him.

“Don’t you worry, Sesshomaru! I’ll keep up everything here. Oh, I turned in the coins you gave me, and my family was so happy. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us. I’ll miss you... I have something for you to keep with you, if you want it that is.”

Pulling back slightly so she could get the small red and white fabric out of her pocket, Kagome offered it to him, hoping she didn’t look stupid for such a silly thought.

He took the offered fabric, examining it with a cautious eye. It was white with red flowers on it, very similar to what he always wore, and it smelled strongly of her. Why was she giving this to him? Looking at her, he lifted an eyebrow to ask just that.

“It’s a small scarf. I saw it at the mall, that’s a place with many shops or traders. It made me think of your kimono you wear. I’ve been um... sleeping with it for the past week. I know inus go off scent, so I thought you’d want to keep it. You know, that way if you missed me you could have my smell. Or if your beast does? I don’t know, now that I’m saying all this out loud I realist it’s stupid. Forget I said anything.” Her face was now pink while her eyes no longer met his. As she went to reach for the scarf back Sesshomaru pulled it away and placed it inside his outer kimono.

His beast was purring when they realized that not only had Kagome been thinking about him this whole time, but also took into consideration who he was and what him and his beast needed. She took the time to do something to ease him in their time apart all the while never knowing if she’d get the chance to give it to him. How much would she give without gaining anything?

“Did you plan to give This One something?”

“I hoped you’d come back before the battle with Naraku and I slept with it because I missed you and it reminded me of you. I just thought you could use it now and I can switch it in a month, if you want another one that is. I don’t know if you even want this one...”

**Mate.**

Understanding his beast, Sesshomaru stepped away from Kagome and took off his armor, then his outer shirt until finally he had his inner shirt off. Once that was done, he offered the inner shirt to Kagome before putting his outer one back on, followed by his armor.

“Really? Thank you.” She clutched his shirt to her chest, touched by his simple yet powerful action.

He cupped her cheek, nuzzling her neck before he pulled back and jumped down the well. Once the blue light faded Kagome brought his shirt up to her nose and took a deep breath.

Walking back towards the house to get ready for the day, Kagome couldn’t help but wonder if this was a sign, they would be together when it was time to fight. Maybe he would be willing to give her a chance. She wouldn't push him; she’d wait for him. Kagome just hoped Sesshomaru would see what she did. Pushing all those thoughts aside, Kagome was ready to get to work. When Sesshomaru came back to see her next month she would be ready. She was motivated and feeling empowered to not only meet all her goals but also pass them in a month’s time.

Now was not the time for her to think about Sesshomaru, it was time for one of the worst trainings imaginable; cardio.

 

****


	16. Chapter 16

 

Lady Kimiko had just finished her tea when she felt her son approaching the Western castle. Standing with grace only a high-ranking demoness could, Kimiko hid her smile before leaving her rooms to greet him in the entrance hall. Knowing her son, he’d attempt to keep his distance from her, but nothing would stop her from speaking to him. It would be best if he heard about the changes, she’d made from herself. Hopefully, he wasn’t too upset with her. While he was gone, Kimiko started to have the rooms cleared out that were reserved for the Western Lady.

As of this moment, they still technically belonged to her since Sesshomaru hadn’t mated yet. Kimiko wanted to make it a special place for Kagome to call her own. If everything went according to plan, Kagome would share Sesshomaru’s rooms and use the others during the day to do her work. Soul mates would have a difficult time being apart, once they mated it would become almost impossible to separate them.

Turning the last corner, Kimiko made perfect time. She walked in right as the doors were opened for her son. “My son, I’ve missed you. Where did you run off to in such a hurry?” She questioned with an innocent tone, trying to hide her smug feelings over him going to see the miko.

Completely ignoring his mother’s question, Sesshomaru responded with his own, “Mother. Are Rin and the kit well?”

If Sesshomaru thought he could get her to drop the subject by his pathetic diversion, he was sorely mistaken. “Yes. They just miss their mother. I do wish she would visit. It would make them extremely happy.”

The Western Lord narrowed his eyes at his mother. Why was she so difficult? Side stepping around her, Sesshomaru headed towards his study. He was not going to discuss this with her. She was foolish, like his miko. She would tell him to go back and leave it all on the line. To ask Kagome to be his mate and bind their souls together, to stand by each other even in death. Sesshomaru wouldn’t push Kagome into that, she needed to come to him with the willingness to accept what her new life would be. Sesshomaru didn’t get to where he was by wishful thinking, the likelihood Kagome would sacrifice everything for him was slim to none.

**Alpha Mother will know what to do.**

_Hn. I will not force Kagome into a role she does not want. She is young and has her whole life ahead of her. We will not take that away from her._

**We love her. She loves us.** Why was his “rational” side so difficult? It truly wasn’t that difficult.

_We do not love her. That is a worthless human emotion and she may not feel that way once she knows everything about us._

**We will tell her everything, she knows we kill. She knows us.**

_Can she love us when we cannot offer her comfort as she desires? Can she stay with us when we show no affection towards her while others are around? When we are always busy?_

“Son, what are you and your beast discussing?” Kimiko was concerned when she saw his aura spike. It was clear he needed help but couldn’t accept that fact.

“What is it you need, Mother?” He didn’t mean to snap at her, but he was missing Kagome already and the discussion with his beast wasn’t helping.

Sitting at his desk he put his hands in the sleeves of his kimono. Playing with the hem of his miko’s scarf. The light movement was enough to send her soothing scent through the room. One blessing of being an Inu was it didn’t take much to smell any scent so he didn’t need to pull it out in front of his mother, the bad news was his mother could also smell the miko now to identify the scent.

“Sesshomaru, I know you are upset. I know you love the girl. Let me help.” She pleaded.

“There is nothing to help. Do not speak of things you know nothing about.”

“I saw how you left her! She gave you that scarf and you gave her your shirt! You both love each other. Why are you fighting it? Why didn’t you bring her back? I will help you with the fight against Naraku if that is the issue. I will train her. Let me do this for you, let me start to make up for all the pain I have caused, you deserve to be happy.”

Kimiko was desperately trying to stay calm. If she wanted to help Sesshomaru accept her help in anything, let alone help involving his mate, she would need to rebuild their relationship and build trust with him.

What she didn’t know was she was pushing too far at the wrong time. Sesshomaru was ready to end this conversation, no matter what it took. “Tell me, Mother, did you enjoy what happened when you mated Father? Do you not regret giving up everything for him? She is not like us. She needs to have more than This Sesshomaru can offer her. She has no desire for This One’s lands or wealth. Now leave.” He demanded.

Slowly, her eyes started to tint pink. **How dare this insolent pup speak to us this way! We gave him life! Put him in his place!** Kimiko’s beast was pissed and wanted their son to learn a lesson in respect.

 _He is stronger than us._ She attempted to remind her beast.

_If he beats us in a fight then we’d lose the remaining power we have here in the West. He could exile us from here as well. Stay calm, we will handle this, but when the time is right._

“No. I did not enjoy what happened at the end of our relationship; however, I could never regret mating him when that bond gave me you. Face it Sesshomaru, the fact you’re willing to let Kagome go shows how much she means to you. Give her a chance, Son. Think back to how she looked at you. It’s obvious she loves you.”

Kimiko was trying to keep her beast relaxed while she spoke to Sesshomaru. Unfortunately, her beast wasn’t’ accepting that. She wanted to beat some sense into their pup. That left only one option for Kimiko, she had to leave. It was clear her son didn’t want to listen to her anyways and she was just getting more worked up, which would only hurt things.  Heading towards the door, Kimiko paused when she heard Sesshomaru speak.

“The Miko will be here in a month’s time. This One will allow her to see what life could look like, it will be up to her if she wishes to stay or not.” He’d never admit it, but Sesshomaru did feel slightly bad for his harsh words towards his mother. She didn’t deserve that.

Facing her son one last time, she offered him a slight smile and some last words of advice before she left, “just make sure you give her a reason to stay.”

* * *

 

The weeks following his conversation with his mother was a blur of work. Sesshomaru sent scouts and spies all over to look for leads to Naraku’s whereabouts. If they could find that manipulating half-breed, then life could finally move forward. Very few humans or demons were lucky enough to avoid Naraku and his games. After years of this cat and mouse game, it was time for this to end.

While working on the battle plans, Sesshomaru also reflected on what his mother said. Each day apart he missed her more and more. His beast wouldn’t say much, just send random images of Kagome from their last meeting. As he waited for news to come back to him concerning Naraku, he thought over his mother’s words. Being apart was offering him the chance to examine his life and what could be.  The time away also brought up some insecurities he still had due to his past.

When he left Kagome, Sesshomaru was positive she loved him. Now he couldn’t help but wonder if she was missing him as much as he did her. Maybe she was starting to regret what they did. Maybe she wasn’t satisfied with their activities.

 **Enough. Mate was satisfied.** His beast missed their miko too, but Sesshomaru was the one that left her, so he didn’t get to mope.

_How long can we please her? She has nothing to keep her here._

**Rin, the kit. That’s reason enough, if you want her to stay then give her something to stay for.**

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. Of course, he wanted to do something for her. It had only been a few weeks but Sesshomaru missed her so much his chest ached. He brought her scarf with him everywhere. In fact, the scarf was the only thing keeping him calm.

He heard the kids share stories about Kagome and plan what they’ll do next time they saw her. It gave him mixed feelings when their conversations would reach his pointed ears. He’d feel proud he found someone Rin liked but disappointed that he couldn’t see her or make plans for their next encounter.

Then, to really punish himself he thought about the Southern Lady and what it felt like seeing her with her guard. Sesshomaru tried to imagine what it would feel like if he found Kagome kissing his half-brother. Every time he did, his eyes blead red and any demon on his land causing trouble suffered greatly. Many fell victim to his claws.

The Western Lord decided to fight for her. If Kagome was going to choose another it would be after knowing what Sesshomaru had to offer her. Now the question was what to do for her. If Kagome was willing to stay in the past with him, then Sesshomaru wanted her to be by his side forever. Normally he wouldn't start working on something until he knew the other person’s answer, but he was willing to risk looking like a fool for her.

The necklace he had someone make for the Southern Lady was flashy, expensive, and fit her personality perfectly. His Kagome was different; she didn’t care about jewels or riches. It was something he admired about her, but made gift giving difficult. Sesshomaru had to find the perfect gift. Something that expressed his feelings while giving her the power to do what she loved.

_A study._

**Mate will love it.**

Kagome could use it whenever she wanted, and it would be a necessity if she stayed. He could fill it with everything she’d need. Scrolls on healing, pups, demons, the Western history, and miko history. She’d be thrilled. Kagome was already educated but he didn’t want her to lose that.

Ladies would never work on more than party decorating and the staff, but he’d fight anyone who challenged her. Kagome would want to help govern their lands and he’d let her; he valued her input and trusted her.

Their lands, he enjoyed that thought. A small smile crossed his face as he sat at his desk finishing the list of things, he demanded his staff finish prior to her return. He stood to call for a servant when his door flew open. Rin and Shippo came running into his study with grins on their faces. While it was normal behavior for Rin, the dirt covering both their faces and hands was not.

“My Lord! Rin and Shippo have been working on something for Kagome!”

“We wanted to do something special since we miss her so much.” Shippo whispered, hoping he wouldn't upset the scary Lord.

As he spoke, Rin bounced up and down on the balls of her feet while nodding along with Shippo’s explanation. When he stopped, Rin quickly asked the question burning her mind. “Can Rin and Shippo show you?! Please!”

_The miko has already softened us. They would never speak to This One so boldly before._

Sesshomaru nodded, not caring about the change in himself, allowing both youngsters to grab a clawed hand and lead them towards their destination.

About halfway there Shippo seemed to notice what he’d done. He looked back at their joined hands with wide, scared eyes. Shippo attempted to let go of his larger hand but Sesshomaru reacted before he could think. Holding steady to the kit’s hand, Sesshomaru gave it a slight squeeze to show it was okay. The little kit’s eyes lit up while his tail started to swish happily.

Once they were outside, the kids took him towards the gardens. Now his interest was piqued. Would they plant her flowers? Rin did love her flowers, but it didn’t seem like the typical plan they’d make for her when they had any resources, they could ever ask for at their fingertips. Kagome would love it either way since they did it thinking about her. He was just curious about what they chose to do for her.

Upon closer inspection Sesshomaru spotted a large area that looked as if it had been dug up. As they pulled him closer, he noticed neat rows with different plants sprouting.

“Rin, what have you done to This Sesshomaru’s gardens?” He used his normal tone, but Rin knew him well enough to see right through it. What she didn’t know was Sesshomaru was trying to figure out who did this. It wasn’t up to his standers. In fact, he’d never pay for this work. Why was there so much open area?

“We did Lord Sesshomaru, are you mad at us?” Shippo was looking down at his dirty paws in shame. Sesshomaru just gave him a sign of hope and he messed it up.

 **They are fighting for her.** He agreed with his beast on that and was quite proud of them.

“This One is not mad. The miko will love it.”

Both froze at first, completely stunned by the reaction they received before they jumped up and down with joy. Sesshomaru wasn’t angry with them. That was the one thing they talked about while working in the garden; would Sesshomaru understand or would he be pissed they messed with his perfectly kept garden.

“What did you plant?”

Rin and Shippo started explaining different parts for the garden at the same time, making it extremely difficult for Sesshomaru to understand anything. From what he was able to gather, they planted healing herbs for Kagome to use. There was also a bench and shed set up. Overall, he was impressed with the work the kids did. There was also a small white pathway.

 _Rin must have used her own coins for this._ Sesshomaru realized. He had just gone over his spending and nothing was missing for this.

“The miko has told This Sesshomaru repeatedly how she wants to help others with what we have available here.”

“Yeah! She doesn’t wanna change the future. Mama told me she also didn’t want to take credit for other’s work since she’d be using it before they even came up the tech- techoloty? Tech something.”

“That’s why Rin and Shippo made this! She could heal people with this garden!” Rin finished, cutting Shippo off. Not that he minded, that word was hard!

Sesshomaru understood the hidden meaning. While she would love the garden, it was located here so she would need to be close to use it. They could have paid someone to make it by the well, but they didn’t. Something else he thought of was Kagome could teach other healers here. This would not only help the Western lands, but also give her great joy. They did well. He gently placed a hand on both their heads as a sign of approval.

Rin and Shippo left after, not wanting to ruin the perfect moment they had with their Lord. When they were far enough away, Rin whispered to Shippo about what just happened. “Shippo! I told you he would accept you!”

Shippo smiled before starting a game of tag.

* * *

 

Sesshomaru watched them run away, he smirked when he heard Rin’s words. She underestimated his hearing. While normally he’d be completely offended by someone thinking less of him, having his own daughter think she could speak without him hearing would come in handy when she was older.

 **He is her son. That makes him ours.** His beast said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

_Hn._

“Son?” His mother came up behind him, timidly asking him to follow her. “Could you come with me please?”

That was new, his mother never showed an ounce of fear. This caused great concern, _what has she done to This One’s castle?_

Nodding once, he allowed his mother to lead him through the castle. He couldn’t figure out why she was taking him to her rooms. Maybe she was taking them back? Maybe she got upset and ruined them? The later sounded more likely. If Sesshomaru was one to show signs of irritation, he would have groaned.

When Kimiko slid open the doors, he took a calming breath to keep his calm. What he didn’t expect was the changes she made. The room was done in neutral tones, book shelfs were added and her large, full length vanity was taken out and replaced with a smaller one. The closets were open, showing beautiful yet simple kimonos that appeared to be Kagome’s size. It looked perfect for Kagome.

“Mother?” His tone didn’t give any hint to what he was thinking.

“I hope you aren’t upset. I thought this might be more her style. The children helped by telling me more about her. I can change it back if you’d like.” Kimiko never stepped in the room; the last time she spoke to her son he was mad at her for open stepping. This could go either way.

“Thank you, Mother.” He didn’t turn to look at her, but she didn’t mind. Kimiko understood her son needed to think. This room made it real for him, she could live here and be happy. With the garden and now the rooms next to his, he’d need to let it sink in.

Closing the door, Kimiko headed back to the gardens to play with the children with a smile on her face. Things were going well for them. Hopefully Kagome would be a part of the West soon enough.

The young Lord heard the door close and his mother’s fading footsteps. He was trying to process all these new emotions flowing through him. He was unsure how to feel about everything going on; between the children making a garden for Kagome, his mother not only handing over her rooms, but also decorating to Kagome’s style. Now he had a study being built for her and he realized something; if she didn’t stay, he’d do anything to get Kagome to stay as long as possible without taking away her happiness.

For the first time since he was a young pup Sesshomaru had hope. Maybe things would be different, maybe he’d get his mate after all.

* * *

 

Kagome spent their time apart kicking ass. After her last encounter with Sesshomaru, the young miko felt more motivated than ever before. Kagome set up her goals, but instead of just the main goals, Kagome set up ladders for each of her goals, so she had a mapped-out plan. They were simple; graduate high school, kill Naraku, speak to her family, and win over Sesshomaru.

For school she was able to focus much better. Now that she was ahead, Kagome was given the freedom to work on one course at a time. While traveling she never had time to study or learn anything so doing homework would take hours for just one worksheet. Now she was able to complete a week’s worth of schoolwork done in a day. On top of that her grades were top marks! For once she was able to show her mom exam scores and not cringe.

With Naraku she set up mini goals that would help her. She knew what to do with the jewel so that was done, next was to explore her powers. She knew they could be used to heal or fight but that was it. Kagome started working with an old sword, her bow and arrows and meditation. During one of her meditations an idea came to her, if she could send butterflies to communicate to people could she turn her power into energy? She leaped up and ran to the shed to grab a spare light bulb, holding it in her hand she channeled her power into it. When nothing changed Kagome added more power causing the bulb to shatter. Groaning, Kagome took another bulb and added her power to it slowly. After a few moments a light shinned brightly.

Excited didn’t even begin to describe how Kagome was feeling. This discovery changed everything! She could do so much more in the past with this knowledge and keep better track of things to show her family in the future. When she shared her growth with her grandfather, he gave her a beautiful dagger that belonged to her great, great, great grandmother. The blade was sharp and clearly cared for. The handle was an exact match to her hair, almost black with small blue tints. Kagome loved it and wore it everywhere. It took a bit to get use to the feel but weeks later it felt like a part of her. She wondered if it was possible the dagger was made for her it was such a perfect match for her.

Sesshomaru was the trickiest goal of all. She couldn’t control the relationship or their feelings, but she could control her ability to fit in with is life. She started wearing kimonos every day and practiced walking in sandals from his time. Her family seemed to enjoy watching her stumble and fall face first. Although, she’d take them over falling in front of Sesshomaru or Inuyasha, that she’d never live down. Her knots weren’t perfect, but they were much better then when she started tying them and would hold through the day. As much as she hated the idea, she was grateful to have the help of Sesshomaru’s staff to help make sure she doesn’t look like a fool.

Weeks later Kagome had made a ton of progress on each goal but her last. Speaking to her family about what she found out. School was almost done; she could walk up and down stairs without falling (well almost never falling) and had great control of not only herself but her power. Today was different.

Kagome woke up with a gut feeling telling her today was the day to speak with her family. She’d been avoiding this conversation like the plague. Every speech she wrote to explain why she wasn’t coming back sounded fake or superficial. How do you explain to the people who gave you everything that you may never see them again? Kagome would do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t happen, but there was no guarantee.

At the dinner table Kagome asked every to have a family meeting once they were done. “Could we have a family talk after dinner? There is something important I need to tell you.”

“Is that why you haven’t touched your food, Dear?” Mama had noticed Kagome pushing her food around without eating anything.

Looking down at her messy plate with food mashed together in an extremely unappetizing look. “Sorry Mama. I’m just nervous.”

Reaching over, her little brother placed his hand on her hand, “it’s okay, Sis. It’ll be okay.”

Nodding, Kagome tried to get a few bites in before it was time to clean up.

When everyone was done and the dishes were clean everyone found a seat, waiting for Kagome to speak. _‘Okay Kagome, you got this. Just tell them and rip the band aid off.’_

She didn’t notice she had started pacing until Sota spoke up. “You aren’t coming back, are you?” He was trying desperately to keep his eyes clear, but the burning sensation just wouldn’t stop. He understood Kagome had a job to do and it would involve the past, but he didn’t want to lose her.

“Remember when Gramps told us about Midoriko?” She waited for her mom and brother to nod before continuing. “Well she spoke to me.”

“What?! How?! I told you these stories were important, and you always scoff at me.” The irritated old man crossed his arms, jealous to mess such an amazing opportunity.

“Sorry Gramps, when Sesshomaru-”

“That is Lord Sesshomaru.”

Kagome rolled her eyes at her grandfather’s worshiping of the already large headed Western Lord. “Yes, well, when Lord Sesshomaru joined our group he started to teach me how to meditate-”

Her grandfather snorted while her brother laughed at the idea of her keeping calm long enough to meditate. Kagome glared at them.

“Yes, I’m able to meditate now. Anyways, while I was meditating Midoriko joined me. I was debating how to handle the jewel since every wish I came up with would have a selfish tie to it. I just couldn’t figure out the answer, it seemed every wish would backfire. Once that thought passed my mind, she appeared to me. She told me I was correct, that there was no wish that was pure of heart since the wish would also benefit me by no longer caring for it. She told me the only option was to combine the jewel with my body.”

“You mean become the jewel in human form? You’re sure?” While her grandfather was proud to have a granddaughter with such an important cause, he couldn’t help but pity her. She would never live a normal life nor have a normal family.

“Yes. I asked her what would happen if I did fuse my body with the jewel and what that would look like. I know this may sound bad, but I needed to know what would happen before making such a drastic decision.”

“No Sweetheart, that was the right thing to do. You should have your answers before you jump into a life changing situation.”

“Mom’s right, Kagome. What else did she say?”

“She said... I, I can’t come back to this time.”

Kagome looked at all three devastated faces, tears already starting to fall at the idea of never seeing them again. While she may have had more time with the information it didn’t make it easier. In fact, until she told them it almost felt like it wasn’t real. Now seeing how upset her family was with the news made it real.

Deciding to swallow the lump that formed in her throat, Kagome tried to explain why she was going to follow through with this path. “I can’t come back here, but I can live till we meet again.”

She saw everyone start to speak but she cut them off, she needed to explain everything before the conversation could get heated. “Before you say anything, she told me a bit more about the jewels history and my options. Well, my two options; I can make the best wish I can come up with and be sent back here and never go to the past, but I would set this up to happen again. The other option is to become the jewel and live forever. I asked her about Kikyo since she held the jewel first. It turns out Kikyo was never meant to hold the jewel, she was a strong miko and a good person, but she wasn’t right for the jewel. Midoriko sat with me in my meditation while I thought over what to do. There wasn’t any chance to say no. I agreed to take the responsibility of the jewel to my grave.”

“Do you know what that means?”

“Yes. I understand I’m giving up a great deal. I’ll lose a normal life, a life without constant threats, but one life for millions is worth it. That’s why I’ve been working so hard. I’ve been buying supplies, setting up things in the past and here. I hope you understand that I’ll do everything in my power to survive the 500 years but thinks can happen. If something happens and I can’t see you again I want, no I need to know you are all taken care of.”

Unable to hold it all in any longer, Kagome started to cry while her family moved forward. Each person crying over the love one they may lose, morning the life they all thought they’d have, and realizing time was almost up with Kagome.

As they started to calm a bit her mother whispered into her ear, “Kagome, we are so proud of you. I know your father is too. You have such a great destiny that isn’t fair or easy, yet you are following it through. You are taking care of your family in ways I could never imagined or wanted you to. We love you so much. Know that it will all work out and we are honored to have you in this family.”

“Thank you. I will do everything I can, I promise.”

Her mother nodded before they spent the rest of the night going over her plans. She showed them her new hiking pack she bought (her yellow one could only work for so long), the clothes she had packed and put into space saver bags. Everything, she went over her kindle account, medical books, training books, entertainment books, and children books.

Kagome also explained that she wouldn’t stop any major disasters or do too much to change time. She was going to use her miko title to help and heal people at a limit. The one major change she was going to make was with demons. She didn’t know what would cause them to die out, but Kagome was determined to stop it.

“Why do you think it’s okay to change the demon’s outcome but not natural disasters?”

Her grandfather had a good point, it did seem silly without any background information. “When I spoke with Midoriko she told me the life I grew up in wasn’t how it was meant to be. She said time was shifted before I was pulled back and I can fix it.”

Understanding her, Gramps was interested in seeing what else she would bring with her. The camera, laptop, and tablet seemed to be a great idea for her, even if the reasoning she had broke his heart. “If something happens to me, I’ll make sure these are safe and you can see what I did before my death.”

As heart breaking as it was to hear, her family understood what she wanted and would respect it. They just hoped they would see her and not some photos she left for them. The rest of the week was spent as a family making memories. Her mother made her a photo album to take with her when the time was right. It had copies of all their fun times together, the few photos of her father, and some that she brought home from the past. Her mom also helped her figure out the best ways to make simple items from the future so she could have them with her in the past. That’s how the conversation regarding her and the Western Lord came around.

They were both sitting on Kagome’s bed, making different types of tea bags when her mom noticed something sticking out from under the pillow. Pulling on the item it reviled Sesshomaru’s shirt. When she looked at Kagome, her face was bright red telling her mom all she needed to know.

“So Kagome, how did Sesshomaru’s shirt find its way in your bed?”

“Well, um..” Kagome’s panicked mind couldn’t come up with a better response to her mother’s question. She expected her mom to yell, maybe cry, or tell her she was disappointed. What Kagome didn’t expect was her mother to start laughing. It wasn’t a giggle or a small chuckle, no her mom was laughing with tears starting to form in her eyes.

Patting her daughter’s hand, Mama tried to calm herself so she could speak. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you, but you should see your face. Sweetheart, you’re saving the world, fighting demons, and raising a kit. Having a boy in your room doesn’t sound that bad. We've had the talk and I know you’ll be smart. With that said, is there anything you’d like to talk about before we join the boys back downstairs?”

“I guess.... I’m scared, Mama. I thought I loved Inuyasha, I never thought I’d find someone who could make me feel this way. With Inuyasha it was always three of us in one “relationship.” His beast responds to me, but I never knew who he saw when he looked at me. Sesshomaru is completely different. He’s closed off, difficult to read, but I want a future with him. Rin and Shippo already have a family bond, I love them both, but my feelings for Sesshomaru are separate. Hell, we could barely get along at first.”

“How do you know what he feels if he is so closed off?”

“Well he seems to have a soft spot for a couple special people. Rin, I think me, and possibly Shippo. He’s not the same with Rin and Shippo but that’s okay. Sesshomaru offers him some comfort in his own way.”

“So he shows you a side no one else is able to see? Do you think he’d want to settle down one day?”

“I’m not sure. He’s been so hurt before that he may not even commit to someone, and I don’t think he’d want children with me since I’m human, but part of me feels this pull to him... I can’t describe it, it’s like we’re attached by a string and the string is pulling me closer each time I walk the other way. I wonder if he feels the same thing since he seems drawn to me as well...”

“It sounds like me and your father. I think you should follow your heart. Don’t push it, and let things happen as they do, but don’t let Inuyasha change how you’d handle the situation.”

“Thanks, Mama.” Kagome hugged her mom before they went back downstairs to see what they boys were doing.

* * *

 

Time seemed to be flying by as Kagome spent time with her family. Kagome had set a countdown up on her laptop. It always brought her such joy to see the number become smaller with each day that passed. Her family and her had been spending a great deal of time together which helped ease the guilt she was feeling about leaving them. They all spoke to her alone about what was going to happen, and each gave her their blessing; which was something she didn’t even know she needed until it took the burden off her shoulders.

The young miko had been working so hard that she decided to take today off. She was ready to leave for the past but would wait for Sesshomaru. She didn’t want to pressure him or make him feel like she didn’t trust him to be without her. Looking at the horribly early time on her screen, Kagome gently tapped the desk mouse so the monitor would show the number of days she has left. The number eight appeared causing her bright smile to cross her family. Eight days until she sees everyone again, until she sees Sesshomaru again. Closing her eyes, Kagome allowed that thought to be her last before she fell back asleep, enjoying the extra rest she desperately needed.

**Dream World**

_Kagome was floating down the river in the past. Her hair was causing her to appear like a mermaid from the bottom, her outfit was a simple bathing suit; a black full body suit to cover her more than she’d typically wear but it was fine. Allowing the water to carry her wherever it wished, Kagome sat still for the ride._

_It was so peaceful here, no one yelling about demons, no Naraku, no slaps for a perverted monk, no worries or cares. Kagome was using this time to simply destress while the sun rays kept her warm as it kissed her skin._

_“Kagome.”_

_“Hmm.”_

_“Kagome.”_

_Sighing, Kagome begged for a few more moments of peace from her mom, “five more minutes.”_

_“Kagome!”_

_Realizing that voice was one she’s only heard a few times previously, Kagome’s body dropped below the water. Breaking the water and spitting out the water in her mouth while pushing her thick hair from her face. Turning in a circle, Kagome finally spotted the person trying to gain her attention._

_“Midoriko? What is it? Is everything okay?”_

_“Kagome, you must wake up.”_

_“Okay? How do I do it? What’s going on?”_

_“There is no time. You must go now. Go to the past, Inuyasha and your friends will be in the village by the well. Bring all your things and head West. You will need Sesshomaru’s help to defeat Naraku. All jewel shards have been found. Please hurry. They need you.”_

Everything went black before Kagome shot out of bed gasping for air. Looking around she saw her room looked the same, but the time was only a few minutes later from the last time she looked at the clock. As she quickly dressed it hit her, it was time. All that she had been working towards would be coming to an end soon. All her friends would be free from this mess that destroyed their lives. They could finally morn and rebuild their lives.

Pulling out the note she wrote a while ago so her family wouldn’t worry, she grabbed all three bags and rushed towards the well. Once she made this last jump it would be a race to the West where they’d have the rest of the jewel. When her and Sesshomaru made the deal, Sesshomaru offered to take some of the jewel so if anything happened, he’d be able to reach her. Plus, she never worried he’d use it to gain power since he already had too much if you asked her. Not that she’d ever say it to him.

Pulling the door open to the well house, she looked one last time towards the house she called home. _‘This won’t be the last time you see it. You’ll see them in no time at; all for them at least.’_

Closing the door, Kagome hauled all her stuff up while jumping into the well.


End file.
